Lost too young: Reina Rodriguez fell into the dark world of sex trafficking… and was killed at 19 – By Jessica Heslam (bostonherald.com) / May 1 2018
Alleged sex worker recruiter charged in murder of 19-year-old
Images courtesy Sigryd Garcia
As a little girl, Reina Rodriguez played the violin, loved to roller skate and ride horses. A beautiful young woman, she ended up homeless, sold for sex, and ultimately ended up bound and strangled in a Braintree hotel room at 19.
“She didn’t deserve the way she died. Now she rests in peace,” her anguished mother, Sigryd Garcia, said yesterday as another 19-year-old, Juana Rivera, was charged with Reina’s murder.
Reina’s body was found on the morning of June 22, 2017, in Room 220 at the Hyatt Place Hotel in Braintree, according to court documents. Reina was face down on the floor, naked from the waist up, her hands and legs bound behind her with cellphone cords, according to court documents.
An autopsy found Reina died from homicidal asphyxia.
Yesterday, Reina’s mother, father, older sister and aunt faced Rivera in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham. Rivera was held without bail after pleading not guilty to a host of charges that include murder, kidnapping, unarmed robbery and deriving support from prostitution.
Rivera and two men planned to rob Reina and ended up killing her, prosecutors said.
Kentavious Coleman, 20, and Kenyonte Galmore, 22, were also indicted for Reina’s murder and are behind bars in Mississippi on unrelated charges. Jason McLeod, 35, of Mattapan, was indicted for human trafficking and deriving support from prostitution.
There was “significant animosity and conflict” between Reina and Rivera. Rivera had been in a relationship with McLeod, and conflict arose between the two women when he began a relationship with Reina, court documents show.
Reina dropped out of Phoenix Academy in Lawrence to work at Bath & Body Works and Old Navy, her family said, and got mixed up with the wrong crowd.
When Reina became homeless in 2016, Rivera recruited her to work for her, promising Reina she’d teach her how to “make a lot of money doing sex work,” according to court documents. Rivera took Reina to the Braintree Hyatt, where she kept her for days, according to court documents. Reina worked and handed the money over to Rivera.
The two women planned to move to Georgia but had “disagreements,” and Reina moved in with McLeod, which made Rivera “angrier,” court records show. Rivera and Reina had several physical fights and Rivera threatened to kill her.
On the night of the murder, McLeod had rented the hotel room and Reina posted an ad on Backpage soliciting clients for sex work, court documents shows. Rivera saw it and planned to rob her, court documents show. Rivera set up the robbery by posing as a client using an app, prosecutors said, and stayed in the car.
Galmore and Coleman were caught on camera at the hotel. Galmore’s DNA was found at the scene.
Outside court, Reina’s family said they were grateful for justice.
“She had a very good heart,” Garcia said. “She was a beautiful girl.”
Garcia said she knew Rivera, who she said has a baby daughter.
“I don’t want her to die,” Garcia said. “I want her to live for a long time. I want her to live a miserable life.”
Reina’s sister, Sigryd Rached, said she misses her sister’s laugh. They were best friends.
“I know she’s OK now and I know she’ll get the justice that she deserves,” Rached said. “I hope (Rivera) remembers what she did to my sister for the rest of her life.”
Reina’s father, Marcos Rodriguez, said he misses his daughter. “She was a very loving person,” he said. “Very caring.”
