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Jesus Jeronimo and Angelita Reyes were implicated in the killing of a Hanford associate pastor, Abraham Gaspar-Reyes, in April 2016. In a press release by the Office of the District Attorney, County of Tulare (July 23, 2018), both were convicted of first-degree murder, as well as special circumstances of lying in wait and kidnapping. Jeronimo was also convicted of using a firearm to conduct the murder.
The crime was committed on April 3, 2016. Angelita Reyes lured the victim, Abraham Gaspar-Reyes, her former boyfriend, to a remote vineyard near Earlimart, California, with the ruse that her car had broken down. When he arrived, Jeronimo sneaked out from hiding and attacked him. The two suspects then kidnapped Gaspar-Reyes, brought him to an almond orchard near them, and murdered him.
The case made headlines at the time for the planning involved and the roles both of them undertook in the murder. On July 20, 2018, both were found guilty by a jury in Tulare County Superior Court. They are now facing life in prison without parole. The upcoming episode of Snapped: Killer Couples, airing on April 6, 2025, is Season 18, Episode 5, titled Angelita Reyes and Jesus Jeronimo.
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The episode explores the details behind the killing of a California pastor discovered dead in an almond orchard. The case unfolds a tangled web of relationships and blackmail accusations, prompting detectives to investigate the pastor's love life for clues. The episode guarantees to explore the vengeful conspiracy that resulted in a tragic murder.
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The plan: Luring Gaspar-Reyes to a remote location
According to the Tulare County District Attorney's Office, Angelita Reyes phoned her ex-boyfriend, a 40-year-old associate pastor, during the afternoon of April 3, 2016. She said that her car had overheated and needed assistance. The pastor drove to a remote vineyard off of Earlimart, which was where she had told him to come.
When he got there, Jesus Jeronimo, who had been hiding in the area, ambushed Gaspar-Reyes. He forced the pastor into Reyes' truck physically. Both suspects proceeded to drive with the victim to another destination: an isolated almond grove. Reyes stayed behind in the truck as Jeronimo took Gaspar-Reyes out at gunpoint.
The killing: Execution in the orchard
Jeronimo took the Gaspar-Reyes hostage at gunpoint at the almond orchard. The victim begged for his life as Jeronimo took him into the orchard, as stated in the press release. Gaspar-Reyes told Jeronimo,
"You don't have to do this, it's the devil's work. But if you do it, God can still forgive you."
Jeronimo disregarded the plea. He put the gun to the victim's head and pulled the trigger, instantly killing him. Jeronimo got back into the truck after shooting the victim. The two then proceeded to drive to Shafter and stopped to grab empanadas before heading home to their house in Bakersfield.
The investigation: Forensics and testimonies
Gaspar-Reyes's body was found two days later, on April 5, 2016, by workers in an orchard. Law enforcement also found his car close to the vineyard area where Angelita Reyes had taken him around the same time.
As per the Visalia Times-Delta, the investigators employed cell phone records and testimonies from Gaspar-Reyes's relatives to conclude that Angelita was the last individual to talk to him. As per the Hanford Sentinel, officials had also stated that Gaspar-Reyes had also been designated missing in Kings County the morning after he gave his last church sermon.
More interrogation and evidence led the police to both Angelita and Jeronimo. As per the court documents, testimonies revealed that Gaspar-Reyes and Angelita Reyes had been in a tumultous relationship previously. Angelita had also alleged that he had been blackmailing her with photos and videos of her, which she and Jeronimo claimed as their motive for the murder. However, their testimonies before investigators ultimately implicated them in the homicide. Cell phone analysis also established their whereabouts before and after the murder.
The verdict: Conviction and sentencing of Jesus Jeronimo and Angelita Reyes
On July 20, 2018, in the Visalia Tulare County Superior Court, a jury convicted both Jesus Jeronimo and Angelita Reyes of first-degree murder. The jury also found special circumstances to be true— lying in wait and kidnapping. In addition, Jeronimo was convicted of personally and intentionally using a firearm that caused death.
Angelita Reyes was found to have participated while knowing a firearm was involved, as the jury found true the special allegation that a principal was armed during the crime. Sentencing for both was scheduled for October, 2018, as noted in the official press release. They are now imprisoned for life without the possibility of parole.
Jesus Jeronimo and Angelita Reyes were convicted of murdering a pastor in a premeditated act of violence. The case, which involved a complicated and schemed murder plot, is now the center of an episode of Snapped: Killer Couples on Oxygen.
