A little more than a year after David Vincent Reyes murdered
former Garlic Queen and mother Franca Barsi, he struck a deal with
the prosecution to serve 32 years and four months in a state
prison.
San Martin – A little more than a year after David Vincent Reyes murdered former Garlic Queen and mother Franca Barsi, he struck a deal with the prosecution to serve 32 years and four months in a state prison.
Reyes, 41, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter shortly after 1:30pm Friday at the San Martin Courthouse, and Superior Court Judge Hector Ramon scheduled the formal sentencing for Oct. 29 at 1:30pm in the same courthouse.
With a calm, measured tone, Reyes rattled off a series of “guilties” for three separate cases: voluntary manslaughter, two counts of felony robbery, and failure to register as a sex offender.
Directly behind him sat about 25 people there to support the victim’s family. Across the aisle from them were about 15 of Reyes’ supporters, one of which received a wink from the defendant before making a “call me” gesture with his hand as the hearing came to a close.
The mosaic of Barsi supporters watched with somber faces throughout the 30-minute ordeal, staring ahead with an occasional sniffle emanating from the quiet crowd.
As she left the courthouse, Lauretta Avina, Barsi’s sister, walked away with one arm linked through her husband’s and the other hand wiping a steady trickle of tears from her cheeks.
“Yes, I’m satisfied,” she said, touching the button of a smiling Barsi that she had pinned to her lapel.
It has been a little more than a year since Barsi’s Sept. 12, 2006 murder in her Westwood Drive condominium, where police found her suffocated, tied with her arms and legs behind her back with a white electrical cord, according to the county medical examiner.
Police pursued Reyes from San Jose to Gilroy and back again before capturing and arresting him two days after Barsi’s death. In custody that same day, he confessed to killing the 38-year-old Barsi – his on-again, off-again girlfriend – during an argument, police said.
The amount of time since then hasn’t bothered Avina as much as the thought of the case dragging on and possibly going to trial. Now she said she can concentrate on helping her mother, Mara Barsi, raise her motherless nephew, 12-year-old Andrew.
Avina said she hopes her sister’s fate will help others be proactive.
“If you know a family member who is in an abusive relationship, try not to worry about becoming involved and [instead] step in and avoid what happened to my sister,” Avina said.
Reyes has a history of violence toward women. Previous to the murder, he was arrested for assault with intent to commit rape and two counts of battery against women.
Members from Reyes’ family declined to comment on the plea, which was delayed more than a half-dozen times since October 2006 as Defense Attorney Carl Beatty and Deputy District Attorney Ted Kajani repeatedly deferred hearings while discussing deals.
With the deal finally cemented, Reyes must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence, after which he must serve three years parole, and if he ever commits another felony after he gets out Reyes will face a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life.
“After careful assessment of evidence and consultation with the victim’s family, we feel this disposition is in everyone’s best interest,” Kajani said.
Beatty agreed.
“It’s always been [Reyes’] intention to save his family and the victim’s family the trauma of a trial,” Beatty said. “I think he’s at peace with pleading guilty, which is always what he’s wanted to do.”
But outside, a friend of the victim’s family, Vince Sinni, said Reyes “doesn’t show any remorse” and should spend the rest of his life in prison.
Thirty years in a state prison could seem like a lifetime for Reyes, though, and Avina didn’t express any frustration over the sentence, hoping only that her sister’s murder will “bring awareness to domestic violence.”
