Michigan landlord, 53, is accused of murdering his two tenants in their 30s and hiding their bodies in his truck for eight days because they kept him up all night partying

Michigan landlord Chad Reed, 53, faces two counts of open murder in the October 7 killings of his two tenants 

A Michigan landlord who regularly argued with two tenants over noise that kept him up at night is accused of killing them and stashing their bodies in the back of his truck for more than a week.

Chad Reed, 53, from Battle Creek, confessed to investigators on Thursday, eight days after Joseph Soule, 34, and girlfriend Jaclyn Lepird, 31, were last seen alive, Battle Creek Det. Sgt. Joel Case said.

Reed, 53, told police that he shot Soule in self-defense after the man pulled a knife during an argument on October 7.

As Lepird attempted to run away from the house, Reed shot, strangled, stabbed and beat her to death with a metal pipe, Case told the Battle Creek Enquirer.

The landlord then allegedly wrapped the bodies in plastic and placed them in the back of his truck. 

Reed on Thursday confessed to police to killing Joseph Soule, 34 , and his girlfriend, Jaclyn Lepird, 31

The couple were last seen alive at Reed's residence at 203 Post Avenue in Battle Creek, Michigan, where they lived in a downstairs apartment, on October 7 

'As family and friends came over checking on them, he decided he needed to move the bodies and still had the bodies in the pickup and moved it to the abandoned garage and closed it off,' Case said.

Friends told police that Reed did not get along with Soule and Lepird, who lived upstairs at his home on 203 Post Avenue.

'They had arguments about money and arguments about you name it. ... They liked to party and keep him up at night,' Case said. 'He had another bad night’s sleep and couldn’t sleep because of the noise going on. It was a bad environment.' 

After Soule and Lepird were reported as missing, police went to Reed's home but found no evidence of foul play. 

Police said Reed had frequent arguments with Soule and Lepird (pictured together) about money and noise, and he did not get along with the pair 

Reed told police he shot Soule is self-defense when the tenant pulled a knife during an argument. When Lepird tried to flee, the landlord allegedly shot, strangled and beat her 

It was not until Thursday, shortly before Reed arrived at the local police station to make a confession about the double homicide, that investigators received a tip from someone who knew Reed, saying that his tenants had been killed.    

'If I had to guess it was that after telling this person about the it was guilt and maybe a little bit of remorse and maybe he knew eventually it would catch up with him,' Case said about Reed's decision to turn himself in. 'It was close in time to when the source came and told us.' 

Reed was booked into the Calhoun County jail on two counts of open murder. He was set to be arraigned on Monday.

Court records indicate that Reed has a criminal history, which includes a 2005 conviction on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon, reported WWMT.

Two years prior, he pleaded no contest to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct after originally being charged with felony sexual conduct for persons under 13.

On Sunday, a fire broke out at Reed's home on Post Avenue and caused extensive damage, destroying much of the victims' personal belongings 

Early Sunday morning, a fire broke out at Reed's residence. It took the Battle Creek Fire Department more than an hour to extinguish the flames, but not before the property sustained extensive damage. 

Relatives of the victims said they were planning to come by the house and collect some of Lepird's possessions, but most of the items were ravaged by the fire. 

'The only thing any of us had left of Jackie was her stuff,' said sister Trinity Middleton. 'I would have given anything to just have one T-shirt that smells like her and that’s gone now, our pieces are gone.'

The cause of the blaze is being investigated.