Eddy Reyes, a former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employee, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for orchestrating the brutal kidnapping and murder of his wife, Claudia Sanchez Reyes. The crime, which took place in 2016, was described by U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton as “heinous” and “a product of pure evil.” Reyes had been in a troubled marriage, marked by domestic violence and suspicions of infidelity, which ultimately led him to hatch a deadly plan to kill his wife.
Reyes, who immigrated to the United States from El Salvador with his wife in 2014, was deeply troubled by allegations that his wife was having an affair. He became consumed with rage and began plotting her murder. To carry out the crime, Reyes enlisted the help of his half-brother, identified only as “P.O.,” a former gang member and gravedigger in El Salvador. Together, they devised a scheme to kidnap and kill Claudia.
On May 6, 2016, Reyes lured his wife under false pretenses. He told her he wanted to take her out to dinner and even rented an SUV for the occasion, telling her it was a gift. However, their dinner plans never materialized. Instead, Reyes drove her to his mother’s house, where P.O. was waiting in the garage. Once the garage door closed, P.O. climbed into the vehicle’s cargo area, assaulted Claudia, and strangled her with a seatbelt.
After killing his wife, Reyes and P.O. took steps to cover up the crime. They used Claudia’s phone to send messages that misled friends and family about her disappearance, claiming she had left her husband and was starting a new life with a new boyfriend. Reyes did not report his wife as missing for several weeks, waiting until May 10, 2016, to file a missing person’s report, four days after he attempted to dispose of evidence at Los Angeles International Airport.
Despite Reyes’ efforts to hide the crime, investigators soon suspected his involvement. In April 2021, Reyes was arrested on charges of kidnapping and murder. His defense attorney argued that it was his half-brother, P.O., who disposed of the body, but Claudia’s remains have never been found. Part of the plea deal offered to Reyes involved him agreeing to cooperate with authorities in locating her body. However, despite a search involving a cadaver dog in the desert area of Slab City, Reyes was unable to provide the exact location where his wife’s body was buried.
At sentencing, Reyes faced the possibility of a higher sentence than the recommended 30 years if he failed to provide full cooperation. Despite the plea agreement suggesting a potential 30-year term, U.S. District Judge Staton imposed a 40-year sentence, acknowledging the gravity of the crime and the suffering it caused Claudia’s family. The plea also stipulated that if Reyes failed to provide information that could lead to his wife’s body being recovered, he could face a harsher sentence, which ultimately played a role in the judge’s decision.
The case has left Claudia’s family devastated, as they continue to mourn her loss and grapple with the uncertainty surrounding her disappearance. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada expressed the government’s condolences to the victim’s family and commended the efforts of the investigators and prosecutors who worked to bring Reyes to justice. Despite the sentence, the loss remains profoundly painful for the victim’s loved ones, who continue to seek closure.
