Matias Reyes: The East Side Slasher
With the recent release of Ava DuVernay’s docuseries, When They See Us, America’s attention is once again on the tragic case of the Central Park Five.
But rather than go over what is now the well-known story of five innocent teens framed for the assault and rape of a wealthy white woman, I want to look at the real criminal: the serial rapist and murderer Matias Reyes.
Reyes was born in 1971 in Puerto Rico, into what can best be called a chaotic home life. According to Reyes, his mother moved away to New York City when he was very young and “sold” him to his father for $400. Reyes claimed that while he was still living in Puerto Rico, he had been sexually abused by two older boys and thrown into a river; other times he blamed a family member. Unfortunately, we’ll never know if any of this is true; his court-appointed psychiatrist said he was “not a good historian” of his life due to his constant lying.
What we do know is that he moved to New York City to live with his mother as a young teen. He was often violent in school. He was tested to have an IQ of only 76, and was labeled as “mentally disturbed” by his teachers.
When he was 15 or 16, he ran away from home (or was kicked out). He claimed that he and a friend sexually abused his mother.
His first attack that was reported to the police occurred in 1988, when he was 17. He attacked Jackie Herbach in a church, threatening her with a knife and choking her. Fortunately, she was able to talk him out of raping her by claiming she had an infection. Instead he stole all her jewelry.
In 1989, Reyes was 18 years old, working at a bodega at Third Avenue and 102nd Street, and living in his van or couch-surfing.
In April, only two days before the Central Park Jogger attack, Reyes attacked, beat, and attempted to rape a woman who was doing Tai Chi in Central Park. When he was spotted by a passerby, he fled. But the woman had gotten a good look at him. She described him to police, and included a potentially case-closing detail: her attacker had fresh stitches on his chin.
Police checked with area hospitals, and Reyes’ name indeed came up. But before he could question Reyes, the investigator was moved out of the sex crimes unit. Apparently no one followed up on this lead.
Only two days later, on April 19, 1989, Trisha Meili, an investment banker with a “blue chip pedigree,” was taking her evening jog in Central Park. She had her headphones on, probably absorbed in her own thoughts.
But Reyes was watching. He found a thick branch and ran up behind her. As soon as he was close enough, he swung the branch, knocking her down. He hit her so hard, he said her head bounced off the pavement.
He then dragged her unconscious body off the trail and into some bushes, where he proceeded to rape her. Once he was done, he grabbed her keys and tried to get her to tell him where she lived, so that he could go to her apartment and rob it. Either she was too out of it to answer, or she outright refused. So Reyes tossed her keys away and grabbed a nearby rock. He pounded her in the head with it, crushing her skull.
He then collected himself, took her walkman and headphones, and strolled out of the park, leaving her to die. While he was wearing her headphones, he encountered a police officer; he chatted with the officer briefly and went on his way.
By the time Meili was found, she had lost 80 percent of her blood. Her skull was crushed so badly one of her eyes was forced out of its socket. Meili would remain in a coma for 12 days.
Meanwhile, something was happening in the park that, while providing a lucky break for Reyes, would change the lives of many others for the worse. While Reyes was attacking Meili, a large group of about 30 teens were on a tear through the park, harassing and attacking random passersby. Kharey Wise, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, and Raymond Santana Jr., all between the ages of 14 and 16, happened to be in the park at the same time, and the rest, as they say, is history.
With the Meili (then still known only as the Central Park Jogger) attack falsely pinned on the Central Park Five, Reyes was free to rape — and kill — again.
On June 11, his next victim had just returned home from spending the day in Central Park. Reyes was able to get into her apartment by claiming to be the building superintendent’s son. Once inside, he raped her repeatedly, then gave her a horrific choice: “your eyes or your life.” The woman chose her eyes, and Reyes slashed her face and eyes, then tried to drown her in the bathroom sink.
Three days later, on June 14, Reyes used same deceit to get into the apartment of Lourdes Gonzalez, a mother of three young children, and pregnant. Once inside, he locked her other children in a room where they could hear while he raped her repeatedly. Reyes then escalated from serial rapist to murderer, stabbing Gonzalez repeatedly until she died.
A little over a month later, on July 19, he forced his way into Amanda Eisley’s apartment, where he tied her up and raped her repeatedly. Again, he gave her the choice of her eyes or her life. She chose her eyes, so he slashed her face and eyes. Strangely, when he left, he went to a pay phone and called 911 to send an ambulance to Eisley’s apartment. From there, he used her ATM card to withdraw money from her account.
Eight days later, he mugged a woman in the lobby of her apartment building, claiming he had a gun and threatening to shoot her.
By now, the police and public recognized they had a serial rapist and murderer amongst them. The press gave him the nickname “The East Side Slasher” or “The East Side Rapist.” And even though the Central Park Jogger case had obvious connections to Reyes — it was right inside the area he was committing his crimes and it fit his MO — Reyes was never questioned. Neither was the DNA on Meili’s sock compared to the DNA evidence left on three of his other victims. Instead, the police seemed to have had tunnel vision fixed on the Central Park Five.
Reyes was finally caught Aug. 5, 1989. That day, he broke into a woman’s apartment and raped her. While he was ransacking the place, she fled and was able to get a neighbor and the building’s doorman to help. When Reyes appeared, the doorman hit him over the head with a mop and held him until police arrived.
Under questioning, he at first denied everything. Then, slowly, he confessed to five rapes, two attempted rapes, and one murder — only the cases the police questioned him about. Since they didn’t ask him about the Central Park Jogger attack, he didn’t offer any information.
He was tried for those crimes, found guilty, and sentenced to 33 years to life. When he heard the sentence, he cussed out the judge — “fucking judge” — and punched his lawyer.
It was while he was serving his sentence at Riker’s Island that he ran into Wise for the first time. They apparently fought over a TV.
But fate seemed determined to intervene. In 2001, both men had been transferred to Auburn Correctional Facility. During the years since their first encounter, Reyes had found Jesus. He spotted Wise in the yard and asked, “Are you still in for that?” When Reyes learned that Wise was still doing time for the crime he had committed, Reyes felt he had to do the right thing.
Reyes confessed to the Central Park Jogger case and told the police that he acted alone. He actually had to tell his story several times before any action was taken. But when his DNA was a match for the sample found on Meili’s sock, there was no denying that the was telling the truth.
Thanks to his confession (and the DNA corroboration), the judge vacated the sentences of the Central Park Five. In 2003, the Central Park Five sued the City of New York, and in 2013, they were awarded $41 million. But that money can’t replace the years they spent in prison.
As for Reyes, the statute of limitations had long since passed on the Central Park Jogger case, so he couldn’t be tried for it. He continues to serve his life sentence for the other crimes, and is due to be considered for parole in 2022.
Want to see more about this case? Check out these two episodes (parts 1 and 2) on The Deadly Digest.
