The State of Alabama is seeking the death penalty for an illegal immigrant charged with multiple counts of kidnapping, murder and abusing a corpse in a series of gruesome murders last year.
Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes, who is in the country illegally, was arrested on Aug. 2, 2022, after authorities were alerted about a 12-year-old girl reportedly escaping from his residence.
According to court documents, a 12-year-old girl was drugged and tied to a bedpost for over a week. At some point, she was able to chew her way through her restraints and was later found by a motorist who called the police.
Upon investigating Pascual-Reyes' residence, police discovered two dismembered, decomposing bodies.
The first body was identified as Sandra Vasquez Ceja. The second body, a minor, was only identified in court documents as "AOGV."
Court documents claim both "AOGV" and Ceja were killed and dismembered on July 24, 2022. Ceja was "smothered by a pillow," and "AOGV" was "bludgeoned with hands or feet."
Pascual-Reyes is in the country illegally and had been deported from the U.S. All of the victims had been paroled in the U.S. since 2017, pending an asylum claim. The State of Alabama has been compelled to pay for a foreign language interpreter during this case.
According to court documents obtained by 1819 News, the state has informed Pascual-Reyes it will be seeking the death penalty in his case.
In a court motion requesting a DNA sample to match crime scene DNA, prosecutors presented verbal testimony from Pascual-Reyes wherein he reportedly confessed to murdering his girlfriend and her son.
See also: Dadeville double-murder, kidnapping suspect admits to murders, court documents say.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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