Inset: Robert Reyes Jr. (Daytona Beach police). Background: Cops in Titusville, Fla., recover Reyes' vehicle after he crashed while fleeing officers after allegedly killing his wife (WFTV).
A Florida man busted into his estranged wife's apartment and "executed" her while she was on the phone with their son because he was "infuriated" that she was dating other men, authorities say.
The incident unfolded around 6 p.m. Monday when 54-year-old Robert Reyes Jr. broke down the door of his estranged wife Jacqueline Reyes' apartment on Reena Drive in Daytona Beach. The 44-year-old mother was on the phone with one of their three sons, who quickly called 911 after hearing his mom's final moments.
"I heard my mother saying 'put down the gun,'" the son told 911 dispatchers in the call obtained by local ABC affiliate WFTV. "That's when I heard the gun go off."
Cops rushed to the scene where they found a woman dead. Robert Reyes fled the scene but was spotted by traffic cameras two hours later about 50 miles away in Titusville. He crashed into a pond while fleeing police and was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said the motive for the slaying was jealousy.
"He forced his way into the back door and executed her," Young told reporters. "The husband was trying to get her back, and then he found out that she had moved on and was dating new people, which infuriated him."
Young said Jacqueline Reyes moved to Daytona Beach about a year ago to escape her husband's wrath, but the abuse continued when he broke into her apartment and bleached some of her clothes.
"So this has been going on for quite some time, and then [Monday] it came to a tragic end," Young said.
The police chief said his thoughts are with the couple's children.
"My heart goes out to the three sons that they have that basically lost both parents within a two-hour time span," Young said.
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