On May 31, 2020, 37-year-old Selena Reyes-Hernandez was tragically killed in her Chicago home. In the early hours of that day, she met 18-year-old Orlando Perez, a high school senior at Bogan High School. The two returned to her basement apartment in the 3300 block of West 71st Street in the Marquette Park neighborhood. During their interaction, Reyes-Hernandez disclosed that she was transgender, which reportedly upset Perez.
He left her residence but, still enraged, returned shortly after with a firearm. Perez entered her apartment and shot Reyes-Hernandez multiple times in the head and back, leading to her death. He then fled the scene but returned once more to fire additional shots into her lifeless body. Family members residing in the same building heard disturbances and, upon checking, discovered Reyes-Hernandez's body and contacted the authorities.
The investigation benefited significantly from community cooperation. Detectives collected surveillance footage from approximately 25 different cameras in the neighborhood, which captured Perez's movements before and after the crime. Additionally, a video found on Reyes-Hernandez's phone showed Perez washing his hands in her apartment before the murder. These pieces of evidence, combined with Perez's distinctive clothing, led to his identification and arrest at his South Side home. Upon arrest, authorities recovered a 9mm handgun and two magazines. Perez subsequently confessed to the murder during police questioning.
In September 2023, Orlando Perez pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison by Judge Nicholas Kantas. As part of a plea deal, multiple counts, including additional first-degree murder charges, armed robbery, home invasion, and burglary, were dropped. This sentencing concluded the legal proceedings stemming from the tragic loss of Selena Reyes-Hernandez.
