A DuPage County judge sentenced Anthony Jimenez to 55 years in prison on Thursday for the fatal stabbing of his girlfriend, Jessica Reyes, inside his Villa Park apartment in July 2024. Jimenez, 28, pleaded guilty in May to one count of first-degree murder, and under Illinois law he will have to serve every day of that sentence before any chance of release.
Judge Mia McPherson handed down the sentence during Thursday's hearing, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office. Because Jimenez was convicted of first-degree murder, Illinois' truth-in-sentencing law, 730 ILCS 5/3-6-3, requires him to serve 100 percent of his court-imposed sentence with no credit for good conduct or early release.
A Relationship That Turned Deadly
The attack unfolded on the morning of July 17, 2024, after Jimenez and Reyes argued inside his apartment on the 1600 block of South Michigan Avenue, according to FOX 32 Chicago. Prosecutors said Reyes tried to leave by climbing down from a third-floor balcony, but Jimenez blocked the apartment door and kept her from getting away. The two eventually went back inside so Reyes could gather her belongings.
Court filings describe a brutal final struggle. As Reyes collected items from a bedroom closet, Jimenez pulled a switchblade from his pocket and began stabbing her, according to the Daily Herald. DuPage County court records show he stabbed her a total of 12 times in the head, neck, face, chest, arms and hands, accusing her of infidelity after she suggested the couple take a three-month break. Reyes tried to fight him off.
Mother's 911 Call Intercepted, Bystander Intervened
The attack stopped only after Jimenez's mother entered the room, prosecutors said. Court filings state that another male occupant of the apartment came in alongside her, grabbed Reyes and took her out of the room before officers arrived. When his mother tried to call 911, Jimenez grabbed the phone from her and told the dispatcher himself, “I stabbed my girlfriend in the neck,” adding, “She can't breathe. Please hurry,” according to a prosecution petition cited by the same outlet.
Villa Park police responded to the domestic disturbance call shortly before 11 a.m. and found Jimenez at the door with blood on his hands and chest, while Reyes was found bleeding on the floor of a back bedroom, per FOX 32 Chicago. Villa Park paramedics rushed her to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, where she was pronounced dead at 11:26 a.m.
Held Without Bail Since the Arrest
Two days after the killing, DuPage County Judge Joshua Dieden granted a prosecution motion to deny Jimenez pretrial release under Illinois' SAFE-T Act, which eliminated cash bail statewide in 2023 and requires judges to conduct risk assessments before ordering detention. Jimenez has remained in custody at the DuPage County Jail ever since, through his guilty plea and sentencing.
Reyes, remembered by her family as a six-year military veteran, was honored in a memorial fundraising drive organized after her death, according to Elmhurst Patch. Loved ones described her resilience and selflessness in tributes that followed the killing.
A Call to Report Abuse
DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said domestic violence must never be tolerated or excused, noting that it can have deadly consequences. “No one should have to live in fear of a husband, wife, significant other, or other family members,” Berlin said, according to FOX 32 Chicago. His office noted that the sentencing fell during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Berlin called for the prevention of domestic violence.
Hoodline covered Jimenez's arrest in July 2024, when he was charged with murder and ordered held without bail. More than two years later, his guilty plea and 55-year sentence close out the case, with Reyes' family and DuPage County officials marking the outcome as part of the county's broader push against domestic violence.
