The man who pleaded guilty in connection with the deaths of his girlfriend and her son on a farm in Wayne County was sentenced Thursday morning.
Alberto Reyes will serve the next 20 years in prison followed by a five year probation for killing Selena Hidalgo-Calderon and her 14-month-old son Owen. Her body was found on the farm in Sodus in May 2018. The child's body wasn't located until weeks later. The massive search involved members of law enforcement from the state police, sheriff's office and local police.
As he was being led into court on Thursday, Reyes uttered the words "not guilty." However, in the courtroom, when he was given the opportunity to address the court, he stayed silent.
The judge had some harsh words for Reyes saying in part:” you left them to rot and sat silent while the community worked to find them, hoping to find them alive when ultimately they found their remains. You stand here silent offering no explanation, apology or remorse. You are less than a man. You are a vicious animal."
“This was a heinous crime. This will never bring Selena and Owen back. Our hearts and prayers go out to their family. The sentence imposed was the sentence agreed upon by the law but I'm sure Sheriff Virts and I are never comfortable with people walking free after these types of things,” said District Attorney Michael Calarco.
“Mr. Reyes will be released from prison sometime and he'll be almost 50 years old, he'll still have five years of parole supervision, however Selena and Owen no long have a life, they're in heaven. So as the judge said, any sentence, any justice here is probably inadequate,” said Barry Virts, Wayne County sheriff.
In court, a letter was read on behalf of Selena’s mother calling Reyes a demon for taking the lives of Selena and Owen. While she feels pain and suffering, she says there is no grudge because there will be justice.
Reyes was indicted on two counts of second-degree murder and one count of tampering with physical evidence last December. He pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree manslaughter in September, just days before his trial was slated to begin.
He still awaits one more court appearance: Sentencing in federal court next month. Reyes pled guilty to re-entering the United States illegally and possessing counterfeit documents. For that, he faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Reyes will be deported to Mexico after serving his sentence.