NJ Mother Convicted of Murdering Toddler Son

44 or 45-year-old Heather Reynolds was convicted last Thursday of murdering her 17-month-old son, Axel Reynolds, on May 10th in 2018. According to NBC10, Reynolds was “acquitted of conspiracy in an alleged murder-for-hire plot to kill a former boyfriend,” but was convicted of methamphetamine possession and endangering the welfare of a child on top of her murder charge. She faces mandatory life in prison at her sentencing in October, though her attorney asserts that he will appeal the verdict.

Allegedly, Reynolds suffocated her son with a cleaning wipe before running from her house with his body and calling for help. People Magazine reports Gloucester Township Police responded, soon finding the child dead. A year later, medical examination revealed his cause of death, and Reynolds was arrested on June 13th, 2019.

According to People Magazine, it’s believed Reynolds killed Axel because he got in the way of the extramarital affair she was conducting with her boyfriend, 45-year-old Jeffrey Callahan. NBC10 also brings up the prosecution’s claim that Reynolds was “driven by a drug addiction.”

Callahan was acquitted of conspiracy to commit murder, but agreed to plead guilty to witness tampering, states People Magazine. His sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.