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U.S. NEWS Thursday 14 February 2019
Authorities say suspect in suitcase death is in U.S. illegally

By DAVE COLLINS country illegally, accord-
Associated Press ing to the Department of
A man accused of killing Homeland Security.
his ex-girlfriend and dump- Also Wednesday, fam-
ing her body in a suitcase ily and friends of Reyes at-
in Connecticut is a citizen tended her funeral at St.
of Portugal who has been Gabriel's Church in New
in the U.S. illegally for more Rochelle. They cried and
than a year, federal au- hugged outside, with some
thorities said Wednesday wearing sweatshirts with her
as the victim's loved ones photo and wording saying,
gathered for her funeral. "In Loving Memory of our
Javier Da Silva Rojas, who beautiful soul Valerie. You
had been living in New York captured so many hearts."
City, was taken into custo- "She was just silly and just
dy Monday and charged a free soul, beautiful soul.
with kidnapping resulting She's going to be missed,"
in death in the killing of her cousin, Desiree Rodri-
24-year-old Valerie Reyes, guez, said Wednesday. Pallbearers carry the casket of homicide victim Valerie Reyes into her funeral mass at St. Gabriel's
of New Rochelle, New York. "We're devastated, but Church in New Rochelle, N.Y. Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019.
The charge carries the pos- we're happy that the per- Associated Press
sibility of the death penalty. son was caught so she
Da Silva, also 24, entered gets to go in peace. It kind
the U.S. on May 8, 2017, of brings us a little more head after they had sex on he indicated he put pack- and put her in a suitcase
through the Visa Waiver peace, too, to let her go." Jan. 29 at her home, feder- ing tape over her mouth, that he put in a forest after
Program and was required Reyes was buried in a green al authorities said. They said bound her legs and hands, driving for some time.q
to leave by Aug. 5, 2017, casket adorned with flow-
Immigration and Customs ers at a cemetery in nearby
Enforcement said in a Rye, New York, as family
statement. and friends held white bal-
The agency on Wednes- loons. Reyes worked at a
day filed a detainer for Da bookstore and aspired to
Silva, meaning he will be become a tattoo artist, co-
deported immediately af- workers and friends said.
ter his criminal case is com- She was last seen on Jan.
plete and any sentence is 29 and relatives reported
served. her missing the next day.
Susanne Brody, a lawyer for Town workers in Green-
Da Silva, declined to com- wich, Connecticut, found
ment Wednesday. her body in a suitcase in a
The Visa Waiver Program al- wooded area on Feb. 5.
lows citizens from 38 coun- Investigators focused on
tries to travel to the U.S. for Da Silva after police said
tourism or business for up to he used Reyes' ATM card
90 days without a visa. Of to withdraw cash multiple
the nearly 22.5 million peo- times after her death.
ple who entered the U.S. In a videotaped interview
under the program and at the New Rochelle Police
were supposed to leave in Department, Da Silva told
the 2017 fiscal year, about investigators that Reyes
131,000 remained in the fell to the floor and hit her