Bio

Matias Reyes was born on June 08, 1971 in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. He spent much of his early childhood there with his father while his mother lived in New York. At the age of 7, Reyes experienced a traumatic event when he was sexually abused by two male strangers. This event would have a lasting impact on his life.

When Matias was about 15 or 16 years old, he lived with his mother in New York. During this time, it was reported that he and a friend sexually abused his mother. This led to him moving back with his father. A few years later, at the age of 17, he returned to live in New York. He lived alone above a grocery store and dropped out of school after the ninth grade.

Reyes worked as a stock clerk in a bodega located on Third Avenue at 103rd Street. He struggled with substance abuse, admitting to using cocaine daily. Despite his tough demeanor, he claimed he would never resort to violence.

By the time he was sentenced for his crimes, Reyes displayed aggressive behavior in court, often expressing frustration over his legal representation. According to those who have examined him, he exhibited traits of a manipulative individual with poor impulse control.

Murder Story

On April 19, 1989, Matias Reyes attacked Trisha Meili, a 28-year-old woman who was jogging in Central Park. He raped her and severely beat her, leaving her for dead in a ravine. Reyes would later confess that he struck her head with a rock. The incident attracted significant media attention and became widely known as the Central Park jogger case.

On August 5, 1989, Reyes raped another woman and was arrested after she escaped and ran for help. During the investigation, he confessed to the earlier assault on Meili, claiming he acted alone. Initially, several teenagers were convicted based on their confessions, but those convictions were vacated years later when Reyes confessed, and DNA evidence linked him to the crime.

Reyes was serving a life sentence for other crimes when he made his confession in 2002. The DNA evidence confirmed that he was the sole perpetrator of Meili's attack, although he claimed that he had acted alone when other individuals had also been accused. As a result of Reyes' confession, the convictions of the five teenagers were overturned, leading to significant discussions about justice and wrongful convictions.