Day 2 of the trial against Benjamin Reed

SPRINGFIELD, IL (WICS/WRSP) — Tuesday was the second day of the single-judge trial of the man accused of murdering a social worker with the Department of Children and Family Services in Sangamon County.

Ben Reed is accused of murdering Deidre Silas, who was killed in a Thayer home in January 2022 while checking on children.

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

On Tuesday, the court heard eight more witnesses, including Reed's sister-in-law Ariel Minor and his ex-wife Amanda Eberwein.

They were both in the house the day Silas was killed.

Authorities said 12 people lived in the two-bedroom home at the time of the murder and the house was full of trash and junk.

Eberwein said Silas asked to see her children, but she refused and went to wake Reed.

She said that DCFS was there and that they had to get the kids out of the house. That's when Reed freaked out.

“After I tried to pull him away and realized I couldn't, I left,” she said.

“So where did you go?”

“Back to the dining area with my kids,” she said.

Eberwein was then asked about Reed after he attacked Silas.

“Do you remember him saying anything to Ariel during this time?”

“I do,” she said.

“What do you remember?”

“He said you could be next,” she said.

Eberwein said in court that she was aware of Reed's previous murderous thoughts.

“You also knew he had murderous thoughts, right?”

“That’s only true because he threatened me too,” she said.

The court on Tuesday examined crime scene photos, the hammer and knife seized as evidence at the crime scene, and Reed's first interview after his arrest.

The interview took place just hours after Silas was stabbed to death.

In the video, Reed admits to Sangamon County officials that he did not want Silas to take his children away from him and said he “passed out” and “freaked out.”

According to officials, Reed has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and has attempted suicide several times in the past.

Reed also told officers that he had not taken his medication in two years.

“I don't like DCFS, they took my brother's kids, they took my sister's kids, they took my brother-in-law's kids,” Reed said in the video.

“So you took the knife, went in there and found her -“

“No, no, no, I said you are trying to take my children away from me, you are going to die, I don't know,” he said.

The state has completed its indictment, and the court will hear the defense on Wednesday.

Reed's lawyer is expected to argue that the evidence is insufficient because there are no fingerprints on the weapons used in the attack.

The trial will continue on Wednesday at 9 a.m.