Man Who Kidnapped Ex-Girlfriend, Put Her in Suitcase Sentenced

GREENWICH, CT — According to a news release from Audrey Strauss, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Javier Da Silva was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Thursday for kidnapping his ex-girlfriend, Valerie Reyes, and transporting her body in a suitcase to Greenwich where she was found dead off Glenville Road in February 2019.

Da Silva, 26, of Queens, N.Y. was arrested shortly after Reyes, a New Rochelle, N.Y. resident at the time, was found dead by Town of Greenwich highway workers on the morning of Feb. 5, 2019. Da Silva pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Vincent Briccetti on Feb. 4, 2020.

According to the indictment and other court documents, as well as statements made in public court proceedings: Da Silva and Reyes were previously in a romantic relationship, which ended around April 2018. Reyes was 24-years-old at the time. In the late evening of Jan. 28, 2019, Da Silva rented a car in Flushing, Queens, and drove to Reyes' apartment in New Rochelle, where he arrived in the early morning hours of Jan. 29.

Before he entered Reyes' home, Da Silva put his cell phone on "airplane mode" according to Strauss. A short time later, Da Silva and Reyes had a violent struggle, during which Reyes suffered head trauma, bruising around the face, and a large hematoma to her forehead, Strauss said.

Da Silva admitted to kidnapping Reyes by covering her mouth with several layers of packing tape and binding her feet and hands with packing tape and twine, and putting her in a suitcase. In his guilty plea, Da Silva said he drove north to Greenwich where he dumped the suitcase in a wooded area just off Glenville Road.

In the following days, Da Silva used Reyes' debit card to withdraw approximately $5,350 in cash from her bank account. He also sold Reyes' iPad, Strauss said.

On Jan. 30, 2019, Reyes was reported missing to the New Rochelle Police Department, and a few days later, her body was discovered. The Connecticut Medical Examiner's Office found that Reyes died of homicidal asphyxiation.

"Javier Da Silva committed a horrific kidnapping that resulted in the death of a young woman. In the days after, he used her ATM card to empty her bank account and then attempted to cover up the evidence of his conduct," said Strauss in a news release. "Valerie Reyes, the victim of this crime, was in the prime of her life when it was senselessly ended by Da Silva’s abhorrent act. Those who commit violence, especially those who kill, will not escape justice."

Strauss noted that Da Silva pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping. In addition to the prison term, he was sentenced to two years of supervised release.