BRENTWOOD – Convicted murderer Michael Benton recounted today how he was drawn into the murder-for-hire scheme to kill Jack Reid at the behest of millionaire businessman John “Jay” Brooks and eventually his son.

Benton, 33, formerly of Manchester, began testifying this morning in Rockingham County Superior Court against his former best friend Jesse Brooks.

Brooks, 32, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder for allegedly taking part in plans to murder Reid in 2003 and 2005.Reid was bludgeoned to death by Benton, John Brooks and two other men with a three-pound sledgehammer after being lured to a Deerfield horse barn on June, 27 2005.

Benton testified this morning that Jesse Brooks joined in plans to kill Reid shortly after John Brooks hired Benton and Andy Carter for the murder in the fall of 2003.

In fact, Jesse Brooks returned to New Hampshire from where he was living in Beverly Hills, Calif., to aid his father after Benton and Carter failed in their attempts to shoot Reid outside his trailer in Londonderry, Benton testified.

“He wanted to handle this problem and get it out of the way because he was tired of hearing of it from this father,” Benton testified.

The elder Brooks sought revenge against Reid and accused him of stealing a pair of moving trucks full of Brooks family valuables.

Reid was hired by John Brooks to help load the trucks with the family’s valuables. They were left overnight at a Brooks-owned warehouse just outside of Manchester Airport when they were stolen.

Jesse Brooks showed no surprise when Benton told him he was going to Reid’s trailer at night to try and kill Reid with a shotgun supplied by his father, according to Benton.

“(Jesse) said that it was ‘go time’ and that it was probably too late to get the property back that was stolen,” Benton said. “(He said), there was no use in trying to interrogate him and we should probably just try to kill him.”

John Brooks, who made his fortune from his medical supply business PolyVac Inc. in the 1990s, is now serving life in prison for capital murder. Benton pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for his role in the killing and is the state's star witness. His testimony is expected to last at least until Thursday.