Slain teen’s parents file suit Monson girl shot in February 2000

DOVER-FOXCROFT – The parents of the late Bridget Anderson-Burke, who was shot and killed in Monson in February 2000, have filed a lawsuit against the man who discharged the firearm that killed the teen-ager. The suit also names his parents.

In a four-count lawsuit filed in Piscataquis County Superior Court in January, Kris Smith of Monson, the mother and personal representative of Burke’s estate, and Daniel B. Anderson of Glenburn, her father, are seeking compensation from Jesse Reed and his parents, Michael Reed and Kimberly Reed, for wrongful death, conscious pain and suffering and loss of comfort, society and companionship.

In their response to the complaint, Jesse and Michael Reed, who were prosecuted in connection with the shooting, have denied any liability and stated that they oppose the lawsuit. The court has not yet received any response to the complaint from Kimberly Reed.

The 15-year-old Monson girl had been sitting with the then 16-year-old Jesse Reed in the Reed family pickup truck when the boy shot her in the chest with a .38-caliber revolver he found in the glove compartment. Michael Reed, the owner of the unregistered handgun, was not present when Burke was shot outside the Monson Laundromat.

Immediately after the shooting, Kimberly Reed, who had been inside the Laundromat, rushed Burke to the Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital in Greenville, where she was pronounced dead upon arrival.

The lawsuit specifies no dollar amount, but requests a reasonable amount, plus interest and costs, and any other relief that is just and proper under the circumstances.