Arizona man accused of murder again after county attorney's office dropped 2023 charge

PHOENIX - A man once accused in the 2023 shooting death of 17-year-old Matthew Ballesteros is in trouble once again.

Another murder now ties Matthew's family to another Arizona family that's mourning a loss after another violent death.

Matthew's mother, Samantha, said that her biggest fear since her son died has been that the man she believes killed her son would have the chance to hurt someone else.

Now, Alexander Reyes is under arrest for allegedly murdering someone else's son.

"Matthew was a really loving," Samantha said. "Kindhearted. He had a heart of gold."

It's been almost 15 months since Samantha lost her 17-year-old son Matthew following a shooting at a Phoenix apartment complex.

Samantha says it's been a traumatic experience not only for her, but for Matthew's two younger sisters.

"I don't know if they'll ever heal from it. That was their go-to, their bubby, their brother," she said.

Matthew Ballesteros

Four days after Matthew's death, on May 17, Alexander Reyes was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder in connection with the shooting.

Samantha says she later received a letter from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office explaining there was not enough evidence to charge Reyes after all.

A decision referred to as a "turn down," which can happen if a prosecutor feels they don't have enough evidence for a conviction.

Then, just four days ago, on July 31, Reyes was arrested again on suspicion of murder.

Surveillance video shows him allegedly stabbing a man named Gabriel Trejo to death.

Alexander Reyes

Samantha says she was floored when she found out at work.

"I had to leave. I couldn't breathe. To know that he has harmed, killed somebody else when this shouldn't have happened. This shouldn't have happened," she said. It just opens a wound of the day that I had to say my goodbyes to my son."

Police found Trejo's body left stabbed and slashed under a blanket.

According to court records, the video captured Reyes committing the crime, then stealing the dead man's bike and valuables.

Samantha says she intends to follow Reyes' case and go to his future court dates.

"Because I want justice not only for my son but for Gabriel. I want them to know my face, to know that I am Matthew's mother and Matthew was taken from me. You took a life of a man that was sleeping on the ground and a 17-year-old boy from the back. That's the biggest coward. They let this man go to do the same thing to somebody else," Samantha said. "Now not only am I hurting from this, another family's hurting."

Samantha said she hopes someone will come forward with more information that could lead to a break in Matthew's case, and encourages anyone who may have a tip to contact authorities.

Anyone with information can contact Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.