Wife Pleads Not Guilty to Charges of Murder

Edna Reyes pleaded not guilty to murder charges on Wednesday for allegedly shooting her estranged husband in front of two police officers and her 11-year-old son.

The Oxnard mother of four stood silently in the Ventura County courtroom as her attorney, Deputy Public Defender Jean Farley, said her client disputed the charges that she murdered Martin Reyes on July 5.

Despite increasing attention from battered-women’s groups and Farley’s insistence that prosecutors will have a difficult time establishing that Edna Reyes’ state of mind at the time justifies a murder charge, Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Holmes said his office--for now, anyway--stands by the allegation.

“If we continue to maintain that that is the proper charge, we will be prepared to back it up,” said Holmes. “That is what we do for a living.”

Holmes received a letter this week from the Women’s Progress Alliance, a Los Angeles advocacy group that includes a sister of the late Nicole Brown Simpson, warning prosecutors that the case is drawing wide scrutiny and urging them to consider the complexities of spousal abuse.

“One of our goals at the WPA is to make sure that the system stops failing women facing domestic violence,” wrote WPA President Tammy Bruce. “Your office is now in a position to stop the cycle of failure by recognizing the unique circumstances in this case and acting appropriately.”

Farley noted later that she had been deluged with letters and phone calls from battered women and various support groups statewide.

She said that even Los Angeles prosecutors, who she declined to name, had offered tips and suggested spousal abuse experts to use in the case. The Los Angeles district attorney’s office emphasized Nicole Simpson’s past as a battered wife in its failed attempt to convict O.J. Simpson of murder.

Reyes, 31, was arrested July 5 after neighbors called the police when they heard the woman and her estranged husband arguing loudly. As officers prepared to escort Edna Reyes and the couple’s children away from Martin Reyes, the woman pulled out a gun and shot her husband twice in the chest, according to police.

Edna Reyes had gotten a restraining order against her husband that, unknown to her, had expired a few weeks before the fatal shooting. She had accused her husband of spousal abuse several times when the couple lived in Oakland, and Martin Reyes served time in jail for spousal abuse, according to Oakland police.

In court on Wednesday, Farley said Edna Reyes was depressed but was happy to have been allowed to see her children, ages 3 to 11.

Although Farley said it is premature to determine which of the “numerous defense issues” she will use as the case proceeds, she said that battered women’s syndrome is a strong possibility.

Prosecutor Holmes said his office is keenly aware of the issue of spousal abuse, but cautioned against drawing conclusions about the Reyes case.

“I am not sure that many people are aware of the detailed circumstances here. Many people are not in a position to comment other than to apply potentially misleading labels,” Holmes said. “We are very well aware of this type of [domestic abuse] situation, and the matter is being thoroughly investigated to determine where this case stands. We are not going in this with a closed mind.”

The case has touched a chord locally, with businesses and individuals offering various types of support. Farley said that employees of the Kinko’s headquarters in Ventura had offered day-care services for Reyes’ children. Farley would not say if the children are in the family’s custody or with child welfare officials.

One letter, written by a Ventura woman, urged Gov. Pete Wilson to watch the Reyes case closely.

“No one can truly understand what drove Edna Reyes to shoot and kill her estranged husband except another battered wife with children,” stated the woman, who did not want her name published in the newspaper. “The law does not help these women and children, the law only gives a respite for awhile.”

In addition, Farley said she received a phone call from a man in Simi Valley who offered to pay for part of Reyes’ $250,000 bail. She is being held at the county honor farm.

Farley said Reyes is grateful for the letters and phone calls.

“The support is reassuring and she very much appreciates it and the amount of letters she has been receiving,” Farley said.

Reyes’ preliminary hearing is set for July 30.