Eladio Herrera, a 63-year-old North County resident, shot and killed his wife, 38-year-old Dolores Reyes, at their family home in Tanglewood late Sunday night.

When Sheriff’s deputies arrived, Herrera was found sitting in his car in front of the house. He told the deputies that he shot his wife, and he was immediately detained before the deputies entered the residence to perform life-saving measures on Reyes, which were ultimately unsuccessful. 

Reyes appeared to have sustained gunshot wounds to the chest, but the official cause and manner of death will be determined through a Coroner’s investigation and released at a later time. An autopsy has been scheduled for Wednesday, and the findings are expected to be finalized approximately six weeks afterward.

A Sheriff’s volunteer chaplain and a social services worker responded to provide support for the victim’s family who were on scene during the incident. Detectives do not believe there are any outstanding suspects. Herrera was booked at the Main Jail for murder and is being held on $2,000,000 bail.


Every day, the staff of the Santa Barbara Independent works hard to sort out truth from rumor and keep you informed of what’s happening across the entire Santa Barbara community. Now there’s a way to directly enable these efforts. Support the Independent by making a direct contribution or with a subscription to Indy+.

Login

Please note this login is to submit events or press releases. Use this page here to login for your Independent subscription

Not a member? Sign up here.