Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison For Ross Reisner Murder in Setauket

By Priscila Korb

A former American Express executive was sentenced to 22 years in prison on Wednesday for the homicide of a local equestrian and horse farm owner, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota.

On Sept. 24, 2013, Brett Knight, 47, of Utah, hid in the bushes next to the house of Ross Reisner, 50, on Upper Sheep Pasture Road in Setauket and fired his .40 caliber Smith and Wesson 11 times through the kitchen window, killing Reisner and grazing the arm of Reisner’s companion, Kevin Murray, according to the DA.

Knight met both Reisner and Murray in the early 1990s and moved into their home after American Express fired him after 18 years of employment, according to the DA.

Knight’s relationship with the pair deteriorated when he became convinced they interfered in his wrongful termination lawsuit filed against AmEx, according to the DA.

He settled out of court with the company and was eventually evicted from his basement apartment after he assaulted Murray in 2010, according to the DA.

Knight told homicide detectives both men betrayed him and destroyed his life, according to the DA.

In December, he pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree, second-degree attempted murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and three counts of aggravated harassment, according to the DA.

Reisner founded the Maple Lane Farm in Mattituck and was popular among the East End’s equestrian community, according to SoutholdLocal.

“I lost my partner,” Murray said in 2013 at a press conference. “We shared a beautiful life together.”

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