Eddy Reyes, a 38-year-old former U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officer, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for his role in the 2016 kidnapping and murder of his wife, 21-year-old Claudia Sanchez Reyes. The sentence was handed down in Los Angeles on Friday after Reyes pled guilty in April to kidnapping resulting in death, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
“This defendant carried out a despicable, cold-blooded murder of his own wife and now appropriately faces the consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada in a press release. “Our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and our appreciation to the investigators and prosecutors who ensured that justice was done in this case.”
Reyes met Claudia in El Salvador in 2014, and the couple moved to the U.S. after marrying the same year. However, their relationship was marked by domestic violence allegations, with Claudia twice filing restraining orders against Reyes, according to court documents. By 2016, Reyes had begun planning her murder, allegedly motivated by suspicions of an affair, reported The Mirror US.
Prosecutors revealed that Reyes enlisted the help of his brother, identified as “P.O.” and described as a now-deceased former gang member, to execute his plan. On May 6, 2016, Reyes called Claudia at work, inviting her to dinner and instructing her not to take her usual Uber home. That evening, Reyes picked her up in a rented Hyundai Santa Fe, falsely claiming it was a gift. Instead of taking her to dinner, Reyes drove to his mother’s house in Orange, California.
There, his brother, hiding in the trunk, emerged and attacked Claudia, punching her and strangling her with a seat belt, according to prosecutors. Following the murder, Reyes and his brother used Claudia’s phone to send deceptive text messages to her workplace, mother, and divorce lawyer, claiming she had left Reyes and their child for a new boyfriend.
Reyes later filed a missing person report and attempted to destroy evidence at Los Angeles International Airport. Despite investigators uncovering significant evidence and arresting Reyes in April 2021, Claudia’s body has never been found. In a sentencing memo, Reyes alleged that his brother had disposed of her remains before his death.
The case underscores the tragic consequences of domestic violence and highlights the work of federal authorities to secure justice for Claudia’s family.