Man accused in Palm Springs murder to be sentenced on unrelated charges

A man accused of a murdering a Palm Springs man who was arrested at a Kansas storage unit with two of his children and his dismembered wife’s remains is set to be sentenced Monday in Kansas.

He was convicted of three felony counts of sexual exploitation of a child back in January.

Jurors deliberated until around 12:30 a.m. Thursday before finding 36-year-old Justin Rey guilty of the felonies, as well as misdemeanor counts of child endangerment and contributing to a child’s misconduct.

Rey said he cut up his wife, Jessica Monteiro Rey, after she died in October 2017 after giving birth at a Kansas City, Missouri, hotel. He was arrested with the couple’s newborn and 2-year-old at a storage unit in nearby Lenexa, Kansas. Authorities say they found child porn images after Rey asked them to look at his phone for evidence he thought would help him at trial.

Justin Rey is also charged in the death of Sean Ty Ferel of Palm Springs. Ferel and Rey allegedly went on vacation with Rey in 2016; Ferel was never seen again after the trip. Ferel’s body was never recovered, but his blood was allegedly discovered in the trunk of Rey’s vehicle months after his disappearance.

Rey testified at trial, but his attorney only asked questions about the child pornography, which prevented prosecutors from questioning him about the children and what happened to his wife.

Rey also is charged with abandonment of a corpse in Missouri.

There’s still no word if and when Rey is set to be extradited to Riverside County to face the murder charge.