Actress accused of mimicking horror movie in uncle's killing
An actress has been accused of killing her uncle in an incident reminiscent of a indie horror film she stars in.
Aisling Tucker Moore-Reed, 30, allegedly shot her uncle, Shane Patrick Moore, in 2016 at her grandmother’s home in the US state of Oregon.
Tensions between Mr Moore and his sister’s family over property in Jacksonville reportedly fuelled the deadly incident.
It is understood Ms Moore-Reed was initially charged in 2016 over the death of her uncle, but was released on bail.
While out on bail and using the stage name ‘Wyn Reed’, Ms Moore-Reed was cast as Valerie Faust in the indie horror film, From the Dark.
The day after filming ended in 2018, Ms Moore-Reed was re-arrested and charged with first-and second-degree manslaughter for the death of her uncle, according to AP News.
According to the film’s co-writer, Justin Adams, there’s a scene with Ms Moore-Reed’s character which mirrors the real life shooting.
“I won't spoil, but there's a key scene where she shoots somebody similar fashion,” he told KTVL.
Mr Adams said it was a “tragedy” for the cast and crew, as much as it was for the family of Mr Moore.
“We were basically lied to. You've got this entire project we've been working on for almost four years and completely hijacked it,” Mr Adams told KTVL.
The 30-year-old’s mother, Kelly Moore, has claimed the shooting was an act of self-defence and Ms Moore-Reed initially pleaded not guilty.
Ms Moore-Reed was a blogger, author, and one-time reporter at the Grants Pass Daily Courier.
According to local press, she has remained in jail since her arrest in 2018.
In a complaint filed after her most recent arrest, Ms Moore-Reed said she was sleep-deprived, malnourished and suffering withdrawals from a potent prescription medication when she was initially questioned by Medford police and Jackson County sheriff’s detectives immediately following the shooting.
In the lawsuit, Ms Moore-Reed claimed she was pressured to make a statement after authorities showed her “an inflammatory and shocking document” and demanded an explanation. She didn’t elaborate on what the document contained.
US Magistrate Judge Mark D. Clarke denied the complaint on Tuesday, but gave Ms Moore-Reed 30 days to refile. He advised she do it with the help of a defence lawyer.
Ms Moore-Reed’s uncle reportedly hit and made threats toward her and her mother, Kelly Moore told the Medford paper soon after the shooting.
The Oregonian reports Ms Moore-Reed had previously obtained a restraining order against her uncle, and he was arrested in January 2016 on suspicion on assaulting his niece.
Ms Moore-Reed will next appear in court on December 9.
Due to the production company, Siskiyou Productions, not knowing how the public will react to Ms Moore-Reed in From the Dark, they were forced to push back the release date.
Siskiyou Productions also released a statement on Facebook about the alleged murder.
“Our lead actress is currently facing a legal battle that we were not made aware of until after filming had wrapped,” the Facebook post said.
“Since then we have been struggling with how to approach this unfortunate situation.
“Given the nature of this predicament, we hope that it is understandable that we have taken some time to find the best way to address it.”
Siskiyou Productions has since released the official trailer for From the Dark, which features Ms Moore-Reed, but credits her as Wyn Reed.
-With AP News.
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