Caught: Deputies Solve 25-Year-Old Murder Case

A man who murdered his wife nearly 25 years ago, has been arrested, Brevard County deputies said Wednesday.

Benjamin Reapp, 87, has been charged with premeditated murder of his wife, Wanda Reapp, 52, of Melbourne.  Wanda Reapp was killed on August 26, 1988.

At the time of Wanda’s murder, Benjamin Reapp reported that he and his wife were the victims of a kidnapping.

Reapp told investigators that the kidnapping occurred at the Mr. Donut, located on US-1 in Cocoa. According to Reapp, the couple was forced to drive to a desolate area of Canaveral Groves where the kidnapper restrained Reapp and brutally murdered Wanda, disposing of her body in a canal. After the murder, the alleged kidnapper drove away from the area, leaving Reapp who was able to walk to a residence, where the Sheriff’s Office was contacted.

Three years ago, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Cold Case Unit reopened the case, compiling physical evidence and conducting multiple interviews. Throughout the investigation, evidence continued to point to the involvement of  Wanda’s husband.

Benjamin Reapp, who is currently incarcerated at the Central Florida Reception Center of the Florida Department of Corrections, on unrelated charges, was subsequently indicted.

Reapp is currently completing a three-year sentence on a lewd and lascivious conviction on a child under the age of 12.     

In this case, Reapp has been charged with first degree premeditated murder in the death of his wife.  He will be transported shortly from the Department of Corrections to Brevard County for his initial appearance on the murder charges.