OLATHE, Kan. (KSHB) — The lawyer for a man found living in a Lenexa storage unit with his young children and his wife’s dismembered body told a jury Monday that the case is “weird,” “abnormal” and “spooky” but not criminal.
Justin Rey faces charges of aggravated endangerment of a child, sexual exploitation of a minor and child misconduct. His trial began Monday, with lawyers for both sides giving their opening statements before breaking for lunch.
The state is arguing that Rey put his newborn daughter and toddler in danger on Oct. 24, 2017, when they stayed overnight in a storage unit with the dismembered remains of their mother, Jessica Rey.
A series of letters penned by Rey were filed Monday morning, accusing the court of slander and hate crimes. Rey says his children were in good care.
Rey admitted he dismembered Jessica Rey in a Woodspring Suites hotel room after she died giving birth in the bathtub, although he gave investigators and other witnesses conflicting reports of her whereabouts.
Rey was set to stand trial in November, but it was pushed back to add new charges against Rey after investigators found sexual images on his phone of girls who appeared to be under 18.
