Jose Reyes, a 69-year-old Bronx resident, has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the murder of Lizbeth Mass, a construction worker on City Island. The sentencing follows a 15-day jury trial culminating in Reyes’s conviction for second-degree Murder and Criminal Possession of a Weapon, with the sentences to run concurrently.
“Lizbeth Mass was a beloved community member and a working mother whose life was tragically cut short in a senseless act of violence,” said District Attorney Darcel Clark. Reyes’s act of shooting Mass three times was described as a “fit of jealous rage” over her relationship with another man.
The incident unfolded on the afternoon of April 14, 2021, when Reyes confronted Mass at her workplace, 636 City Island Avenue, after seeing her with her boyfriend and realizing she was in a relationship. After leaving briefly, Reyes returned on a bicycle, armed with a revolver stolen from his employer’s home, and fatally shot Mass in the back, leg, and hip. The victim’s boyfriend, witnessing the attack, ran over Reyes with his car and, along with others, detained him until police arrived. Mass was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead approximately an hour after the shooting.
The conviction and sentencing of Reyes bring a measure of justice to the victim’s family and the City Island community, marking the end of a tragic case of violence fueled by jealousy.
