First day of trial for Benjamin Reed

SPRINGFIELD, IL (WICS/WRSP) — The trial of the man accused of stabbing a social worker to death has begun.

Benjamin Reed is accused of murdering Deidre Silas, who was killed in a home in Thayer in January 2022.

Prosecutors said Silas, a social worker with the Department of Children and Families, was at the home to respond to reports of children in danger.

Reed is accused of first-degree murder, aggravated assault and false imprisonment.

A judge will now decide whether Reed is guilty; he opted for a trial before a single judge rather than a jury.

Monday was the first day of his trial.

It was a long, emotional day in the courtroom with Reed and Silas' family members present.

The judge listened to the testimony for two and a half hours before calling it a day.

Seven witnesses testified, including Silas' supervisor at DCFS, the first deputy on the scene, and Reed's mother, Jennifer.

Jennifer's testimony was very emotional. She said Reed suffered from mental health issues from a young age and as he grew older he wanted to stop taking his medication.

She said in court that Reed admitted to her that he killed Silas.

In tears, she said she told police where Reed was after the incident.

“Did you do anything after you left?”

“Yes, sir… I called the police, which kills me as his mother, but as a human being I did what I had to do,” she said.

“Did you know where you were going next?”

“Yes, sir,” she said.

“Have you provided this information?”

“Yes, sir,” she said through tears.

Robert Moore, Reed's father-in-law, who also lived with Reed in the house where Silas was killed, said he was a completely different person when he was angry.

Moore said Reed suffered from anger issues and damaged the house in his fits of rage, including hitting the dining room wall with a sledgehammer and punching a hole in the floor.

Reed's mother also said he could be scary if he didn't take his medicine.

“What was he like when he wasn’t taking this medicine?”

“Scary,” she said.

“How scary?”

“His body language is just like that when he gets upset about things, but I'm never afraid of it, I'm his mother,” she said.

The judge reviewed autopsy photos and bodycam footage of Reed's arrest.

The judge will review crime scene photos when testimony resumes Tuesday morning.