I know what I did. I [ __ ] I lost it. I And then we started fighting and then I I like nine times. I I know what I did. >> On a Wednesday morning in Villa Park, Illinois, police officers arrived at a thirdf flooror apartment on South Michigan Avenue in response to a domestic disturbance call. The information they had was limited, suggesting a violent argument had taken place. Upon entering the residence, however, it became immediately clear that this was far more than a simple dispute. The scene inside was marked by chaos and extreme brutality. They discovered 24year-old Jessica Reyes, unconscious and critically wounded, lying on the floor of a bedroom. The air was thick with tension and blood was visible throughout the room, indicating a desperate struggle had occurred moments before their arrival. The first officer on the scene immediately began administering CPR, fighting to save her life. Present in the apartment was her 26-year-old partner, Anthony Jimenez, along with his mother and another resident. Anthony was quickly identified as the asalent and taken into custody without resistance, setting the stage for an investigation that would uncover a history of control and a final fatal explosion of violence. The initial moments of the police response painted a grim picture of a relationship that had ended in the most tragic way possible, leaving first responders to piece together the events that led to the horrific scene before them. The relationship between Anthony Himenez and Jessica Reyes appeared stable to the outside world. Anthony had no prior criminal record, held a steady job at a retail store, and lived in a supportive family environment with his mother. privately. However, their connection was a different story, plagued by repeated arguments, jealousy, and controlling behavior. This underlying friction became the foundation for the tragedy that unfolded. The conflict that led to Jessica's death began the night before the incident. The couple engaged in a heated argument that continued into the next morning. The core of the disagreement was another man, which fueled Anony's jealousy. As the argument intensified, Jessica made the decision to end the relationship and leave the apartment for good. Her attempt to depart was met with resistance. Anthony physically blocked the only exit, trapping her inside. Recognizing the immediate danger of the situation, Jessica attempted a desperate escape by climbing onto the third floor balcony, choosing to risk a fall rather than remain trapped with him. After a brief period, following empty promises of calm from Anthony, she returned inside the apartment. >> Victor too, scene security, some family in the kitchen, send the medics up. >> He immediately began CPR. >> I'm good for right now. Just be careful. >> This brief deescalation proved to be a fatal illusion. The conflict was far from over, and her return only delayed the inevitable confrontation. The situation reached its irreversible turning point. Moments after Jessica re-entered the apartment, believing she had a small window of safety, she began to collect her personal belongings, signaling her firm intention to leave permanently. For Anthony, this simple act was perceived as a final gesture of defiance, a confirmation that he was losing control. This triggered the violent assault. He produced a switchblade he had been carrying in his pocket and attacked her. The verbal dispute, which had simmered for hours, now exploded into deadly physical violence. The struggle was brutal and one-sided, leaving Jessica with multiple stab wounds as she desperately tried to defend herself. >> You stabbed her. >> All right, put your hands behind your back. >> Where's my Where's my Morning? >> What happened? >> The attack continued until it was interrupted. not by his own choice, but by the intervention of others in the home. His actions had crossed a line from which there was no return, transforming a domestic argument into a homicide investigation and sealing the fate of both himself and the woman he claimed to love. The brief period of calm had been shattered, replaced by an act of brutality that would have immediate and permanent consequences. The attack began in the bedroom, moving from the main area to the closet as the struggle intensified. According to Anony's own account, it was during this violent confrontation in the closet that he had a moment of realization about what he was doing. During the assault, other residents in the apartment, including his own mother, heard the sounds of the fight and Jessica's cries. They rushed to the bedroom door trying to force it open to intervene. We were fighting. If you guys go in the room, I uh we we fought in the closet. That's where originally started. She started bringing in the closet and then went down to the um what do you say the floor next to my bed and then that's when I realized what I did. >> It was only after this moment of clarity spurred by the attempts of his family to get into the room that Anthony stopped the attack. He unlocked the door and his mother and the other resident entered finding the horrific scene. They immediately intervened disarming him and separating him from Jessica. His mother's presence was the critical factor that stopped the assault from continuing further. She was the one who then called 911, reporting the incident to the authorities. >> Night. >> You're asleep cuz you work at night >> and I listen like something pushed the door. So >> somebody was pushing. >> What are you doing, Anthony? But I think she's playing because always is playing. >> So she's asking him what what are you doing? But you think they're playing? >> Yeah. See, when I when I go inside the room, I see Jessica on the floor. Look. When the police arrived, they found a scene that corroborated this sequence of events. The presence of multiple witnesses provided investigators with real-time accounts of how the violence unfolded and crucially how it only ended due to external intervention. In the aftermath, while Jessica was being rushed to the hospital, Anthony was placed in the back of a police car. It was there, without coercion, that he began to confess to his actions. He calmly admitted to what he had done, repeating the details with an unsettling lack of emotion. He recounted how the argument from the previous night had carried over, how he had snapped, and how he had stabbed her multiple times. This composure during the description of such violence would later become a central point for prosecutors. They argued it reflected a full awareness of his actions rather than a sudden uncontrollable impulse. His confession combined with the physical evidence and the testimony of the witnesses in the apartment built an unusually strong case for the prosecution from the very beginning. Anthony Himenez was formally charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection to the death of Jessica Reyes. At his initial hearing, a judge granted the state's motion to deny pre-trial release, ruling that he had demonstrated an inability to control himself and that no conditions could ensure the safety of the community. Anthony was formerly charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection to the death of Jessica Reyes. At his initial hearing, Judge Joshua Deedon granted the state's motion to deny pre-trial release, ruling that had demonstrated an inability to control himself. He remains held at the county jail awaiting trial. If convicted, he faces a sentence of 20 to 60 years in prison with the potential for a life sentence without the possibility of parole.