Father Dismembers Wife After Childbirth in Motel, Claims Religious Protection
Justin Rey, a 35-year-old father, has been sentenced to nearly nine years in prison for charges unrelated to his wife's death, after a court heard he skinned and chopped up her body following childbirth in a Kansas City motel. The gruesome case unfolded when police found Rey with his four-day-old baby and two-year-old daughter in a storage unit, alongside the dismembered remains of his wife, Jessica Monteiro.
Grisly Details Emerge in Court Testimony
During his preliminary hearing, Rey testified that he spent eight hours dissecting Monteiro's body in a bathtub, placing parts in a cooler, and claimed he "skinned her like a fish." He asserted the act was necessary to protect his family, stating, "It's something I had to do. My family is very dear to me. It's something I had to do to protect my family." Police discovered the scene after reports of someone living in the storage locker with children.
Conflicting Accounts and Investigation Findings
Rey initially told authorities that Monteiro had taken her own life, later changing his story to claim she died during childbirth. The coroner, Charles Glenn, noted multiple stab wounds on the body parts but could not determine if they occurred before or after death. Surveillance video showed Rey pulling a red cooler with a black bag through a hotel while pushing a stroller, with his toddler walking beside him.
Photographic Evidence and Disturbing Claims
Detective Shannon Murphy testified that Rey had his children posed for photos with their mother's corpse. In a letter to The Associated Press, Rey wrote, "I did dismember a dead corpse under religious views," but denied other allegations, including child endangerment. His attorney focused questions on images found on his phone, which prevented prosecutors from delving deeper into the children's welfare and Monteiro's death.
Legal Proceedings and Sentence
Rey faced charges such as aggravated child endangerment and contributing to a child's misconduct, stemming from photos of teenagers on his phone. He was removed from the hearing after repeated interruptions and will be required to register as a sex offender as part of his nine-year sentence. The children were placed into protective custody following his arrest in October 2017.
