Nearly four years after Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes, an illegal alien living in Dadeville, was arrested and charged with kidnapping and double murder, the State has doled out tens of thousands for multiple attorneys and foreign language interpreters without yet setting a trial date.
Pascual-Reyes, who is in the country illegally, was arrested on August 2, 2022, after authorities were alerted about a 12-year-old girl reportedly escaping from his residence. Police later found two bodies in his home.
SEE: Gruesome details emerge in kidnapping, murder in Tallapoosa County
See Also: Dadeville double-murder, kidnapping suspect admits to murders, court documents say
Pascual-Reyes initially pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. However, after the state requested a mental evaluation, he officially rescinded his original plea and entered a standard plea of not guilty in November 2023. This came after the state officially stated it would seek the death penalty.
For nearly four years since his arrest, there has been little movement on Pascual-Reyes's case, and the taxpayers are footing the bill. Pascual-Reyes is considered indigent, meaning his counsel, interpreters and all other services are provided by the taxpayer.
Since the murder, progress on the case has been more or less stagnant. Through a series of continuances, applications for foreign-language interpreters, mental health evaluations and the defenses, there has yet to be any significant movement in Pascual-Reyes' case.
Public records are limited. However, multiple records exist for the procurement of state-appointed interpreters and attorneys.
In April 2024, his then-attorney was approved for nearly $8,000 in payment. Most recently, in February, after Pascual-Reyes's attorney filed to withdraw from the case due to finding another job and shutting down his practice, the state approved a payment of over $20,000 to him. There are no extensive records for the other state-funded services provided to the suspected killer.
The most recent records on the case show that the state requested a status hearing for November 2025. However, since then, the only activity in the case has been a withdrawal by Pascual-Reyes's attorney and the appointment of another in October 2025.
SEE ALSO: Dadeville double-murder, kidnapping suspect admits to murders, court documents say
According to court documents, the 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 Reyes' residence, police discovered two dismembered, decomposing bodies.
The first body was identified as Sandra Vasquez Ceja. The second body, a juvenile boy, was only identified as "AOGV."
According to Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett, Pascual-Reyes and Ceja lived together as boyfriend and girlfriend. The escaped girl and the unnamed body have been officially identified as Ceja's children.
Both AOGV and Ceja were killed and dismembered on July 24. Ceja was "smothered by a pillow," and AOGV was "bludgeoned with hands or feet."
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