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In April 2016, a California pastor at a church, Abraham Gaspar-Reyes, disappeared. Within days, his body was discovered in an orchard in Tulare County. The investigation revealed that it was a well-planned murder by two individuals he had known previously—Angelita Reyes and Jesus Jeronimo.
Reyes was in her 40s and had an earlier romantic relationship with Abraham. Her younger boyfriend and roommate, Jeronimo, was only 22 years old. The murder was not a random killing. It was an act based on jealousy, manipulation, and a false story fabricated by Reyes to gain Jeronimo's assistance.
According to Snapped: Killer Couples and the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office, both Reyes and Jeronimo were found guilty of first-degree murder.
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The crime involved luring Abraham to a secluded area and shooting him in the head with a gun provided by a friend. This Snapped: Killer Couples episode, which aired on April 6, 2025, gives an inside glimpse into how the crime was committed and solved.
A complete timeline of the events of Abraham Gaspar-Reyes's murder
Early 2015 – Relationship begins
Abraham Gaspar-Reyes, a worker at a poultry plant and assistant pastor, started a short-lived relationship with Angelita Reyes in 2015. Reyes had just broken up with her husband and was visiting church services with Abraham, Snapped: Killer Couples relates.
Family members and church members saw a change in Abraham's behavior. Pastor Lupe Moreno said Angelita seemed possessive.
Angelita, according to his mother Tomasa, once told her:
"If I can't have your son, nobody can."
The relationship lasted around a year. Abraham Gaspar-Reyes ended it early in 2016 to focus again on bringing his estranged wife from Mexico to the U.S.
March–April 2016 – Tensions rise
Following their breakup, Reyes supposedly informed her new roommate and boyfriend, Jesus Jeronimo, that Abraham was harassing her. She said he had compromising pictures and threatened to post them if she did not take him back. This was not corroborated by other descriptions of Abraham's personality, according to Tulare County investigators.
Jeronimo, however, believed the tale and chose to confront Abraham Gaspar-Reyes. Jesus borrowed a Desert Eagle .44 magnum handgun from a friend, Arturo Pompa. Pompa taught Jeronimo how to use the gun but told him only to use it to intimidate, not to kill.
April 3, 2016 – The murder
On the afternoon of April 3, 2016, Reyes reached out to Abraham and informed him that she was willing to exchange some jewelry. She requested him to meet around a vineyard in Earlimart. Abraham complied and took his vehicle there. Jeromino ambushed him at the location, led him into Reyes' truck at gunpoint, and took him to a distant almond orchard.
There, Jeronimo led Abraham Gaspar-Reyes into the orchard at gunpoint. As per the Tulare County DA's Office, Abraham allegedly said:
"You don't have to do this. But if you do it, God can still forgive you."
Jeronimo then shot him in the head at point-blank range. Reyes and Jeronimo went to Shafter and purchased empanadas before heading back to Bakersfield. The gun used was subsequently discovered in Pompa's residence, unclothed and with blood evidence remaining on it.
April 5, 2016 – Body found
Two days later, on April 5, 2016, Abraham Gaspar-Reyes's body was discovered by orchard workers. He was wearing church attire and had been shot in the head. His truck and phone were discovered nearby.
His mother, Tomasa, had reported him missing since he did not come home that Sunday, which he had never done before. Authorities immediately opened a missing person case.
April–July 2016 – The investigation develops
Police identified Reyes as the last known contact and brought her in for questioning. She first portrayed Abraham Gaspar-Reyes as the aggressor. However, when she failed a voice stress analyzer test, she confessed to reporting the supposed blackmail to Jeronimo. Jeromino was also called in and ultimately admitted to the murder.
Snapped: Killer Couples reports that he emotionally broke down and "spilled everything," confessing to having pulled the trigger. Physical evidence, interviews, and digital forensics verified their involvement in the crime. The jewelry Reyes claimed she wanted to return was later discovered in Abraham's abandoned truck, validating the theory that he thought the meeting was real.
July 2018 – Trial and sentencing
Both Angelita Reyes and Jesus Jeronimo were found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in Tulare County in July 2018. They each received a life sentence without parole. Arturo Pompa, who supplied the gun, was also charged but eventually acquitted. The detectives say that the jury probably didn't think they had enough evidence of his direct participation in the supplying of the gun.
For more details about the case, watch Snapped: Killer Couples on Oxygen.
