Accused serial killer Antonio Reyes charged with six Chicago murders in 2020
Chicago police and Cook County prosecutors on Wednesday announced murder charges against an alleged serial killer accused of killing six people at random over a span of nine months in 2020.
Antonio Reyes, 21, is charged with the murders of six people and the attempted murders of four others – including three children, between March and November 2020, according to police and Cook County court records:
- The shooting death of 31-year-old Francisco Mangana on March 2, 2020, in the 2600 block of West 59th Street;
- The shooting death of 21-year-old Claudio Cossio on April 5, 2020, in the 4100 block of South Sacramento Avenue; and the attempted murder of another man in the same shooting;
- The shooting death of 16-year-old Damian Duran on May 1, 2020, in the 5200 block of South Homan Avenue;
- The shooting death of 26-year-old Luis Davalos Garcia on June 24, 2020, in the 5800 block of South Rockwell Avenue;
- The shooting death of 31-year-old Jose Martinez on Nov. 8, 2020, in the 5400 block of South Homan Avenue; and the attempted murders of Martinez's three children, who were all between 3 and 9 years old at the time;
- The shooting death of 20-year-old Justin Gonzalez on Nov. 9, 2020, in the 4700 block of West 59th Street.
"These are six lives that were brutally taken," Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said. "It's difficult to comprehend how anyone could easily take someone's life, and especially so many in one year."
Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Garien Gatewood said, "I cannot commend the work of the Chicago Police Department enough" for its work on the case.
"Our entire administration and our entire city is grateful for the work they did to remove a serial killer from the streets. I cannot thank the work of the State's Attorney's office enough, either," Gatewood said.
Cossio's mother said, "There's not a day that goes by that I wake up and I don't think about my son."
"It's a lot of mixed emotions. I really didn't think I would see this day, because it was just so. … it's been so long," she added.
Police said Reyes began killing his victims when he was just 16 years old, and he didn't have any connection to any of his victims.
Reyes was first arrested in December 2020 in the murder of Luis Davalos Garcia, but was not charged in the other five murders until earlier this month. He's also accused of trying to kill his cellmate with a shank while he was in jail.
Police said detectives were able to link Reyes to all six murders in part through a .40 caliber handgun recovered after the June 2020 shooting, which was later linked to multiple murders. Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti said Reyes also was active on social media, and detectives found several postings linking him to the murders. Surveillance video and tips from the community also helped police secure charges against Reyes.
Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke said the shootings appear to be completely random. She said one murder victim was killed at a gas station while trying to buy a soda, another was sitting in a car with a friend in front of a church on Palm Sunday, and a third was taking his family to buy a puppy when he was shot in front of his three children, and died months later.
"None of these people had ever met Antonio Reyes before, and there's no reason to suspect Antonio Reyes had any reason to target them, but that's exactly what he did," O'Neill Burke said.
Relief form from a victim's mother who heard from accused killer on Snapchat
When the charges against Reyes were announced Wednesday. The mother of 16-year-old Damian Duran breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"These young men did not deserve this," said Damian's mother, Marlen Rangel.
Rangel will never forget the day police came to the door telling her that her son had been shot to death.
"They just said this happened," Rangel said. "It was a shock, because my son never really went with anybody he did not know."
Rangel has other chilling memories.
"I spoke to him that day he killed my son… through Snapchat," she said.
Rangel said she witnessed her son get into a car with Reyes that day. She recalled coming out to ask Damien whom he was getting in the car with — and when her son didn't come home that night, she communicated with Reyes online.
"I told him: 'Where's my son? You lured my son to a location, and now you don't know where my son is?'" said Rangel.
After a back-and-forth chat, she said she was floored by Reyes' final response.
"He said, 'That's why your son is rotting in hell,'" Reyes said. "That's exactly what he told me in the Snapchat."
That conversation became key in connecting the dots, police said.
Snelling said detectives are still investigating whether Reyes might be responsible for any other shootings or murders.
Reyes has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and is due back in court on March 18.
