Louis Hernandez, 61, was charged with first-degree murder. He is being held in a federal facility in Mexico, and authorities are working on his extradition to King County.
RENTON, Wash. — A 61-year-old man has been charged with murder in connection with the killing of a Renton hair salon owner in February.
Reyna Hernandez, 54, was murdered on February 26, and her body was found days later in a cemetery in Mexico. Her ex-partner, Louis Hernandez, was charged with first-degree murder, according to court documents from the King County Prosecutor’s Office.
Louis Hernandez remains in custody at a federal facility in Mexico, where authorities are working to extradite him to face trial in King County. He is being held on $5 million bail.
Event timeline
February 28th: Reyna Hernandez’s friends reported her missing after running errands and not returning home or opening her store. Her friend told police that Reyna told her in the early morning hours of Feb. 26 that she was going to a residence in south Renton.
Renton police responded to a missing person report and went to the south Renton residence where she was last seen. There they found her cell phone on the couch. They also examined home video surveillance footage from Feb. 26.
According to court documents, the video shows Reyna arriving at the residence in a maroon Ford Flex. She then enters the mansion where she lived with Louis. Approximately 12 minutes after she entered the home, a man, who police believe was Louie, was seen exiting the home. He then got into the driver’s seat of Rayna’s car, backed her car into the garage and opened the trunk.
Louis Hernandez was seen removing his belongings from the trunk and then putting them back together over the course of several minutes. He is seen entering the house again and leaving a few minutes later wearing different clothes. He got into Rayna’s car and drove off.
Reyna was never seen leaving the house.
March 2: Reyna’s body was found in a cemetery near Mexicali, Mexico. Her body was wrapped in a blanket, the same color as the one Louis had been seen loading into his Ford Flex several days earlier.
At the scene, it was discovered that the suspect tied Reina’s body inside the trunk to the tree with a rope and ran away, causing her body to fall from the trunk to the ground.
March 8th: King County authorities were notified by a family member that a body had been found in Mexico. The family thought there were similarities and police contacted Mexican authorities. Thanks to Reyna’s unique tattoos, her family was able to help law enforcement identify her.
March 10: Rui was arrested on unrelated charges and arrested at a Mexican military checkpoint with fentanyl, methadone and ammunition. He was booked into a federal facility that day.
March 30th: Reyna’s body was airlifted from Mexico to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
April 1st: An autopsy performed by the King County Medical Examiner determined that Reyna died from a gunshot wound to the head.
During the investigation, police tracked the suspect’s cell phone and found Reyna’s Ford Flex heading to Mexico. Her car was captured on video on February 26th in Oregon and on February 27th in California. According to court documents, Louis drove more than 47 hours from his Renton home to Calexico, California.
Court documents say Reyna was shot within minutes of entering the Renton home.
What happens next?
KCPAO and federal authorities are working to complete a formal extradition request. Once that is complete, the Justice Department plans to submit a formal request from Mexico’s Justice Department.
Reyna Hernandez was a small business owner in Renton. She is remembered by her family and friends as a happy, loving person who was extremely devoted to her family and the clients of her hair salon.
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