Former CBP Agent Kidnapped his Wife and Strangled Her to Death with his Grave Digger Brother, Pleaded Guilty in California
Los Angeles, CA: A former federal employee has pleaded guilty today to a federal kidnapping charge. The individual was involved in a plot to abduct and kill his estranged wife, who tragically lost her life due to strangulation in 2016.
Eddy Reyes, a 38-year-old resident of Covina, has admitted to the charge of kidnapping resulting in death.
At the time of his wife’s death and his subsequent arrest in April 2021, Reyes held a civilian position with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He has been in the custody of federal authorities since his arrest.
As per the plea agreement, Reyes encountered Claudia Sanchez Reyes, the victim, in El Salvador in 2014. Reyes eventually married the victim and brought her and their son to the United States. According to court documents, there have been allegations of domestic abuse by Reyes against his wife in the past. His wife obtained temporary restraining orders against him in 2014 and 2016.
In 2016, Reyes grew suspicious of his wife’s behavior and made a tragic decision. Reyes reached out to his estranged half-brother, who had a troubled past and worked as a gravedigger in El Salvador. Court documents refer to him as “P.O.” and he has since passed away. Reyes contacted him to discuss a plan involving the victim.
On May 6, 2016, Reyes called his wife at work and invited her to dinner that evening. He advised her against taking an Uber home, which was her usual routine. Later that evening, Reyes arrived in a rented Hyundai Santa Fe to pick her up from work, deceiving her by pretending it was a gift.
Instead of going out for dinner, Reyes decided to visit his mother at her house in Orange. He parked his car in the garage and closed the door. After the door was shut, P.O. swiftly moved from the SUV’s cargo area to the back seat and seized the individual sitting in the front passenger seat. A shocking incident occurred involving Claudia Reyes, where she was physically assaulted and subjected to a distressing act of violence. She was just 21 years old. Reyes assisted in moving the deceased individual from the front passenger seat to the cargo area of the SUV.
During the court proceedings, Reyes confessed that the next day, he went to the Santa Ana apartment he lived in with his wife. He then switched on her phone, which he had turned off the previous night. Pretending to be his wife, he sent a text message from her phone to one of her co-workers, informing them that she would not be able to come to work that day. P.O., using the victim’s phone, sent a message to a paralegal working for the victim’s divorce lawyer, indicating that she no longer required the lawyer’s assistance.
P.O. also utilized Claudia Reyes’ phone to send a message to her mother, assuming the identity of the victim. In the message, he falsely claimed that she had encountered another man, expressed her intention to abandon Reyes and their son, mentioned her plan to deactivate the phone, and extended Mother’s Day wishes.
In May 2016, Reyes disposed of a backpack in a parking lot at Los Angeles International Airport. The backpack contained a blanket and rags that were used to clean the seatbelt and interior of the SUV where Claudia Reyes was killed.
Reyes reported his wife missing four days later, prompting a police investigation. During the investigation, it was discovered that co-workers had heard Claudia Reyes arguing with her husband on May 6, just before he picked her up in the rented SUV. The affidavit supporting the criminal complaint states that a drop of Claudia Reyes’ blood was found in the vehicle, and a cadaver dog indicated the presence of a deceased body in the SUV.
He has now pleaded guilty to all the charges and the prosecutors are pushing for a sentence no more than 30 years as per the plea deal.
Reference: United States Attorney’s Office
