Brian Goolsbee, Reagan's killer, was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of her murder. The family was outraged to learn that the GPS data from the monitor was not actively monitored in real time, allowing Goolsbee to commit crimes unchecked despite being on parole.
The system failed because Goolsbee's ankle monitor had no geographic restrictions or curfews programmed into it, and the GPS data was not monitored in real time by law enforcement. This allowed him to commit multiple crimes, including Reagan's murder, without immediate detection or intervention.
Reagan's family, along with Ohio lawmakers, introduced the Reagan-Tokes Act. The bill mandates restrictions on GPS monitors, makes monitor information accessible to police, and allows for the extension of sentences for prisoners with repeated violations. Part of the bill was signed into law in 2018, while other provisions remain pending.
Reagan's family promoted self-defense training for women, established a foundation offering scholarships in her name, and transformed the park where she was killed into a tranquility garden. They also accepted a posthumous degree on her behalf from Ohio State University.
DNA evidence from cigarette butts found in Reagan's car matched Goolsbee. Additionally, surveillance footage showed him withdrawing money from ATMs with Reagan, and his GPS data placed him at the scene of multiple crimes, including her murder.
Brian Goolsbee was convicted of aggravated murder, rape, kidnapping, and robbery. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole, ensuring he would never harm another person again.
Twenty-one-year-old Ohio State senior Reagan Tokes was just months away from graduation when she was shot and killed in a public park. Her parents’ heartbreak soon turned to anger as they learned that Reagan’s killer was wearing an ankle monitor during the attack. Andrea Canning reports.
In Dateline’s ‘After the Verdict’ series, Andrea Canning sits down with Lisa Tokes to talk about her fight to change the laws in Ohio following her daughter Reagan’s 2017 murder.
Available only to Dateline Premium subscribers: https://dateline.supportingcast.fm/listen/dateline-nbc-premium/after-the-verdict-unchecked-evil)