The man who murdered a young Mexican woman, whose body was found in a suitcase that was dumped in an unpopulated area of Connecticut, claims to be sorry and understands that he must serve a lengthy prison sentence, his lawyers said in new court documents.
Javier Da Silva’s attorneys presented the documents Wednesday in federal court in White Plains, New York, in an attempt to obtain clemency. Da Silva faces 30 years to life in prison at the time of his sentencing, scheduled for September 23.
Da Silva, 26, pleaded guilty last year to the kidnapping and murder of his ex-girlfriend Valerie Reyes, 24, of New Rochelle.
Reyes’ body was found inside a red suitcase on the side of the road in a wooded area of Glenville Road in January 2019.
Da Silva pleaded guilty in White Plains Federal Court just one year after the young Mexican’s body was discovered by a gang of Department of Transportation workers.
Federal prosecutors revealed that Da Silva switched his cell phone to “airplane mode” before breaking into Reyes’ home in New Rochelle in the early hours of January 29. He subdued the young woman, gagged her with duct tape, and placed her inside a red suitcase.
The Justice Department said da Silva’s motive was the robbery. The subject made a $ 5,350 withdrawal from Reyes’ bank account, in addition to selling an iPad he owned in the days after his death.
“This comprehensive investigation required monitoring of multiple locations, the analysis of hundreds of hours of surveillance video, and numerous interviews of potential witnesses. Additionally, social media footprints and records from a wide variety of sources were analyzed. Although justice has been served, we are saddened by the loss of Valerie and we sincerely hope that her family finds peace, feeling and closure from this tragedy, ”said James Heavey, Greenwich Police Chief, at the time.
Da Silva told federal investigators that Reyes fell to the ground and hit his head, but later admitted that he put her in a suitcase, resulting in his death by suffocation.
Da Silva’s attorneys, Mark DeMarco and Jason Ser, sent letters of support from the confessed killer’s family and friends, describing him as kind and repentant.
“He understands the significant effect his conduct has and continues to have on Ms. Reyes’ family and recognizes that this Court must sentence him to a substantial prison term,” the attorneys wrote.
The U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment Thursday on Da Silva’s sentencing documents. The office is expected to present its sentencing recommendation next week.
Reyes’ family has not commented on da Silva’s remarks.
Da Silva stated that he and Reyes had a violent fight in his apartment in late January 2019, about nine months after they broke up.
During a court hearing last year, he described how he bound her feet and arms, taped her mouth and stuffed her in a suitcase while she was still alive.
Da Silva said he dumped the suitcase in a wooded area of Greenwich, where it was found a week after the fight. A medical examiner said Reyes had suffocated inside the suitcase.
Da Silva’s lawyers said he fled political and economic turmoil in his native Venezuela in 2017 to have a better life in the United States.
He was living in New York City and working as a cook and cashier at a restaurant when he killed Reyes, according to court documents. Federal authorities say he stayed longer than his visa allowed and was in the country as undocumented.
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