Portrait of Reeves Emerges, Online

Car enthusiasts on an automotive website talked at length Wednesday about , expressing shock and dismay at word that he killed himself and could be implicated in the homicides of three others.

A Sheriff's detective announced Wednesday that Navy Lt. John Robert Reeves shot himself in the head early New Year's Day in the Park Place residence where three others were killed around the same time. 

He refrained, however, from identifying Reeves as the killer of Lt. David Reis, with whom he shared the condo, Reis' sister Karen and a third man, Matthew C. Saturley. The group had been celebrating the holiday at a night club before heading to the residence.

Det. Duncan Fraser said further investigation is necessary, including awaiting the results of forensic and toxicology tests, before ruling if Reeves was responsible for the other deaths.

Family members have discussed the Reis siblings widely and publicly, from David's career as a Navy pilot to Karen's pursuit of volleyball as a player and coach, but officials have offered few details about the other dead. Fraser offered little more Wednesday.

Members of a web forum maintained by owners of Suburu and Impreza vehicles, however, left a lengthy trail of bereaved messages discussing Reeves, who they called “Prod,” sharing photos and dissecting news reports about his death. Then they began struggling to absorb word that he alone among the four victims has been found to have committed suicide.

Initially they considered plans to do something in remembrance of Reeves, who a poster with the user name “Fuzz 541” described as the forum's “plucky, awkward cousin who was just too goofy and nice not to invite to the party.” One suggested establishing a PayPal account in his memory for his family.

Some, on – in fact, Fraser said, it was David Reis – hoped he died defending his friends.

The members provided photos of Reeves goofing off in a T-shirt decorated like a tuxedo, mingling at parties, in front of a military jet and at the wheel of a vintage Jeep that Park Place neighbors described as a favorite. It also was a vehicle he planned to display at the spring MotorCars on MainStreet car show.

Many noted that they had never met him, but felt as if they had because he interacted with them often. Another said the 25-year-old pilot had been active in the forum since he was a teen.

A poster noted that Reeves was last signed on to the site at 12:40 a.m. New Year's Day – about 90 minutes before police responded to the call of shots fired at the condominium.

Another offered an image of Reeves' Facebook page – now filled with memorial messages – which, instead of a profile photo, featured a picture of Abraham Lincoln armed with an automatic weapon.. 

The page said he hailed from Prince Frederick, MD, studied economics at Penn State and would have turned 26 Feb. 2. Among his friends: David Reis.

They also questioned Reeves' experience with women and his level of involvement with Karen Reis. A cartoon purported to have been created by Reeves indicated he felt misled about a possible romance by the sister of a roommate.

Several members alluded to Reeves being the focus of teasing. “Fellow Traveler” wrote, “I've enjoyed ribbing you Prod and having a few back-and-forths filled with laughs as many others here have as well. (A)nd you always took it with the greatest grain of salt.”

Another poster, “Psychoskip,” who wrote that he'd met Reeves, said, “He was ALWAYS a stand up guy. Cracking jokes, laughing, smiling. I consider myself a good judge of character, and he struck me as a guy who'd give you anything he had if you asked.”

The tenor changed mid-day Wednesday as authorities revealed that Reeves shot himself. “BacDoc” wrote, “So many mixed emotions now. I'm very sad and pi--ed off at the same time.”

Several members urged their fellow posters to try and embrace their version of Reeves, not the one who committd suicide or may have been responsible for killing the others.

“No mater (sic) the outcome, we can remember him as we knew him, in whatever capacity that was,” Grap wrote.