A Bronx judge on Thursday sentenced Argenis Baez to 24 years in state prison for the 2022 killing of his estranged wife, NYPD Transit Officer Arianna Reyes-Gomez. The decision came in a packed Bronx courtroom, where family members and scores of uniformed officers listened as loved ones delivered emotional victim-impact statements. Reyes-Gomez was killed inside her Grand Concourse apartment and leaves behind a young son.
According to News 12 New York, Baez was ordered to serve 24 years behind bars, followed by five years of supervised release. Family members told the court that Reyes-Gomez’s final words were “my son,” and said no prison term could truly account for what was taken from her child and community. News 12 reported that many in the gallery wore purple in a show of support for domestic-violence awareness.
How Prosecutors Say the Attack Unfolded
Court filings and reporting indicate that surveillance footage from the building captured a struggle at Reyes-Gomez’s doorway before Baez forced his way into her apartment, then emerged shortly afterward holding a knife, prosecutors say, according to Law & Crime. Prosecutors say she was stabbed eight times in her legs, chest and back and was pronounced dead at the scene. Court records show Reyes-Gomez joined the NYPD in 2019 and was assigned to the Transit Bureau.
Family and Colleagues Remember
Candlelight vigils and funeral coverage captured the borough’s grief in the days after the killing. Colleagues remembered Reyes-Gomez as a devoted public servant who had once helped save a commuter from an overdose, while relatives spoke about a life and career cut short, ABC7 New York reported. Mourners and fellow officers gathered at a service in Upper Manhattan to pay their respects, and the Police Benevolent Association offered condolences. In court, family members used their impact statements to call for accountability and to underscore the loss suffered by Reyes-Gomez’s child.
Legal Details
Baez was indicted on charges including murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon, according to court records, and he appeared in Bronx criminal court following the June 2022 killing, per Law & Crime. The 24-year term reflects the sentence handed down Thursday, and News 12 New York notes that the judge also ordered five years of supervised release to follow Baez’s prison term. Defense attorneys had previously entered not guilty pleas and said they were reviewing the evidence presented in the case.
Help and Resources
Domestic violence affects New Yorkers in every borough, and help is available around the clock. New York City’s 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-621-HOPE (4673), according to the Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (NYC.gov). The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) (thehotline.org). If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911.
