KANSAS CITY, Mo._The sentencing of a man who was found in a Lenexa Storage unit in 2017 with his two children and a cooler containing the dismembered body of his wife was rescheduled Friday.
Justin Todd Rey is scheduled to receive his sentence on June 28. In January he was found guilty of two counts of child endangerment, two counts of contributing to a child's misconduct and three counts of sexual exploitation of a child.
Before his sentencing in June, Rey's former lawyer, Scott Toth, will testify about a motion for ineffective counsel filed by Rey. Rey calls Toth incompetent in the motion because he said the lawyer refused to allow him to wear a suit and tie for his trial.
Rey's charges are unrelated to his wife's death. According to court documents, Rey kept his two-year-old and newborn baby near a dead body and had child pornography on his phone when he was found at the storage locker.
In September, officers testified that Rey's 2-year-old daughter "almost looked like she had cancer" when they arrived at the storage unit.
Rey said during his trial that his wife, Jessica Montiero, killed herself after giving birth in a hotel bathtub. He didn't seek medical help or call the police because he said he wanted to keep his family together.
He then spent eight hours chopping Montiero's body into pieces in order to transport them to Arizona, where he is from, according to his testimony.
"It's something I had to do," Rey testified in Johnson County District Court. "My family is very dear to me. It's something I had to do to protect my family."
Montiero was last seen alive on Oct. 20 in a hotel near the Truman Sports Complex along Interstate 70. The couple and their daughter checked into the hotel in September.
Three days later Rey checked out of the hotel. He was seen on surveillance video walking with the toddler while pushing a stroller and pulling a red cooler with a black bag on top of it.
Rey was arrested at the storage unit the next day.
He is also currently charged in the murder of a Florida man who police believe disappeared while the two were camping together.
