LOS ANGELES
A former federal law enforcement employee was sentenced Friday to 40 years in prison for orchestrating the abduction and murder of his estranged wife, who was strangled to death in 2016.
Eddy Reyes, 38, of Covina, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton, who described the crime as “heinous” and “a product of pure evil.” Reyes had pleaded guilty on April 19 to one count of kidnapping resulting in death.
At the time of the crime and his arrest in April 2021, Reyes was a civilian employee of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). He has been in custody since his arrest.
Reyes met Claudia Sanchez Reyes in El Salvador in 2014, married her, and brought her and their son to the U.S.
However, court records detail a history of domestic abuse, with Claudia obtaining restraining orders against Reyes in 2014 and 2016.
Believing his wife was having an affair, Reyes plotted her murder, enlisting his estranged half-brother, identified in court documents as “P.O.,” a former gang member and gravedigger in El Salvador.
On May 6, 2016, Reyes called Claudia at work, offering to take her to dinner and advising her not to use her usual Uber ride home. That evening, he picked her up in a rented Hyundai Santa Fe, falsely claiming the car was a gift.
Instead of taking her to dinner, Reyes drove to his mother’s house in Orange. Once inside the garage with the door shut, P.O. emerged from the SUV’s cargo area, attacked Claudia, and strangled her with a seatbelt. She was 21 years old. Reyes and P.O. then moved her body to the cargo area.
The next day, Reyes used Claudia’s phone to send misleading texts to her co-workers and family, pretending to be her. Messages claimed she was leaving Reyes and their son for another man and wished her mother a happy Mother’s Day.
P.O. also texted Claudia’s divorce lawyer to cancel her legal services.
On May 19, Reyes disposed of a backpack containing evidence, including a blanket and rags used to clean the crime scene, in a Los Angeles International Airport parking lot.
Four days later, he filed a missing person report but initially refused to cooperate with police. Investigators later found blood evidence and cadaver dog alerts in the rented SUV, linking Reyes to the crime.
This calculated and brutal murder ultimately led to Reyes’ conviction and long prison sentence. officials stated.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection does not tolerate misconduct, on or off duty,” said Todd Siegel, CBP Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), Special Agent in Charge, Los Angeles. “CBP OPR Los Angeles Field Office’s efforts in this case is a testament to CBP’s commitment to preserving the honor of its overwhelmingly professional workforce, and its core values of vigilance, integrity, and service to our country.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Staples of the Orange County Office prosecuted this case.