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Posted by: kwflatbed

By Jennifer Gollan
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Pompano Beach, Fla. — For more than four months, Sgt. Chris Reyka's chair at the family dining room table has been empty. But for those he loved and who loved him, the essence of the slain Broward Sheriff's deputy endures.
"It helps knowing his spirit is there," said daughter Ashley Reyka, 22, who hopes to become a nurse after she graduates from the University of Florida next year. "To think of him gone forever is just too hard."
Reyka's widow, Kim, other family members and friends gathered Saturday for a Christmas memorial Mass in his honor at St. Coleman's Roman Catholic Church, not far from the parking lot on Powerline Road where he was gunned down Aug. 10 as he searched for stolen cars outside a Walgreens. Authorities have yet to make an arrest in the slaying of the 51-year-old career deputy from Wellington.
In a brief homily, the Rev. Thomas Foudy urged people in the pews to remember Reyka as a loving father, loyal friend and humble public servant who patrolled the streets for 18 years.
"I know you said Thanksgiving was difficult," Foudy said to Reyka's widow. "Christmas will also be difficult. I hope you'll hold your heads high ... He is with us, and we are with him."
Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti ended the one-hour service by praising Kim Reyka for her compassion and strength.
"It's something you never expect," Lamberti said of losing a loved one. "You are never ready for it, but the fact that you have people around to comfort you helps a lot."
The sheriff said after the Mass that his agency had come up short after sifting through 2,600 tips. He said he hoped the memorial would reinvigorate the public's resolve to catch Reyka's killer or killers.
Authorities are looking for a light-colored Chrysler PT Cruiser or an older-model white sedan — possibly a Ford Crown Victoria or Mercury Grand Marquis — with tinted windows and a stolen Florida tag of F16 8UJ, last seen heading north on South Pompano Park Road, Lamberti said.
Reyka left behind three other children: Sean, 20, a Marine based in Pensacola; Spencer, 14, a Boy Scout in 8th grade at Polo Park Middle School in Wellington, and Autumn, 16, a 10th grader at Palm Beach Central High School.

Wire Service

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Posted by: kwflatbed

Pair say they know who killed Fla. deputy in 2007

By Jon Burstein, Tonya Alanez
The Sun-Sentinel

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — A private detective and a lawyer on Tuesday said they think they have cracked one of Broward County's most notorious unsolved murder cases - the slaying of Sheriff's Sgt. Christopher Reyka.
In an unusual legal move, defense attorney Joseph Pappacoda and private investigator Daniel Riemer filed a citizen's arrest warrant with a Broward judge, asking her to agree they have established probable cause as to who killed Reyka. The Wellington father of four was gunned down Aug. 10, 2007 outside a Pompano Beach Walgreens store.
Pappacoda and Riemer declined Tuesday to disclose who they want to arrest and what evidence they have presented to Broward Circuit Judge Ilona Holmes. They said the Broward Sheriff's Office is aware of what they have uncovered.
Asked to comment, sheriff's spokesman Jim Leljedal said there is no homicide the office would like to solve more.
"The killer, or killers, will be charged, but not until we have an airtight case," Leljedal said. He accused Pappacoda and Riemer of trying to upstage Sheriff Al Lamberti and harm his election chances next month.
Pappacoda said the upcoming election played no role in his legal request, and that he is doing it "because it is the right thing." The attorney acknowledged his attempt to seek a citizen's arrest warrant is an extreme rarity in Florida.
There is a $267,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to the arrest of Reyka's killer or killers.

Wire Service

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