Father whose mother killed his ex-wife in a murder-suicide case in NYC is reprimanded by judge for cutting off contact with his daughter's former in-laws

A father whose terminally ill mother shot his ex-wife and then killed herself in Manhattan was reprimanded by a judge Thursday for cutting off contact between his daughter and his former in-laws.

Zachariah Reed fled to Chicago with his four-year-old daughter, whom he had with his ex-girlfriend Marisa Golloway. His mother, Kathleen Leigh, shot her daughter in a murder-suicide on the Upper East Side in July. She died in a perfidious plot to give her son sole custody of the child.

Daughter Lili has lost contact with Galloway's grandparents Nancy and John and her 16-month-old sister since her mother's brutal murder, sparking a new custody battle with Galloway's devastated parents.

“So she just lost her mother and hasn't had any contact with her loved ones for the last month,” said Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Michael Katz as she admonished Reed in court. “I don't understand the reasoning behind that.”

“I don't understand how it could be in the child's best interest, given the tragedy, to not immediately make contact with her grandparents,” Katz said. “I think that was cruel to the grandparents and not in the child's best interest – and it was not only the grandparents' best interest, but also her sister's.”

Reed did not even bring his daughter to the Big Apple because he was forced to return to the court hearing in person, said a lawyer for Galloway's parents.

Katz, who also presided over the original custody battle in 2021, expressed hope that the parties could “take action in the future and not make this tragedy any worse.”

Reed appeared before Katz along with Galloway's parents to negotiate a new visitation plan for Lili.

The Galloways' attorney, Matthew Ehrlich, said before the shocking murder, Lili had a “very close” relationship with her grandparents – whom she calls “Mimi and Pop” – and her little sister Mariel.

The child loved walks on the beach, tea parties, French lessons with Mimi and gardening with Pop – who “waited for Lili to arrive so they could harvest his cherry tomatoes,” Ehrlich said.

“These are not grandparents that she only saw once in a blue moon,” Ehrlich said, noting that the Galloways saw Lili two or three times a month. “They were very involved in Lili's life – until July 26.”

“Unfortunately, my client and Mariel have not seen Lili in person once in the last 41 days,” Ehrlich said, adding that they have not received a phone call either.

Katz asked what had happened since a conference call two weeks ago in which he had expressed hope that the two could at least arrange a simple initial meeting.

The plan reportedly fell through because Reed demanded a series of conditions and stipulations before the video call that the Galloways were allowed to use when discussing the tragic situation, Ehrlich said. But when the estranged grandparents asked for more details, they got nothing from Reed.

“I am confused about how [Reed] believes it is in the child's best interest to take away everything she knows and loves just days after her mother's murder,” Ehrlich said.

Katz was also confused and had little sympathy for Reed or his attorney, Nicky Rooz, who repeatedly claimed that visits would not be in Lili's best interest because they would interfere with her life in Chicago.

“This is a kid just settling into a brand new school,” Rooz tried to say before she was interrupted by Katz, who cut her off.

“Well, that was your client's decision,” he said of Reed's move to Chicago, “and I think it was a bad decision.”

Katz said he doesn't have the authority to force Reed to live elsewhere — the previous custody agreement included a clause that neither parent would leave New York City until Lili finished high school. But a visitation agreement could be such a burden that it would make more sense to move back to his Upper East Side apartment instead.

“Yes, it will be logistically more difficult for him to facilitate those regular visits, but that is something he should have thought about – or could still think about. But that does not mean that it is not in the best interest of the child to have frequent contact with his sister and grandparents,” Katz said.

He even reprimanded Rooz for the court documents she submitted in the now sealed file.

“When I read your documents, I didn't get the impression that you were trying to de-escalate the situation,” Katz said. “But I'm glad you're saying that now.”

A 10-minute conference between the two attorneys failed to result in a new visitation agreement, and Katz said he could issue his own temporary custody agreement if both sides could not reach an agreement.