The 21-year-old American sentenced to death in Valmera is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on December 18 at the Appalachian Detention Complex.
NORTH CAROLINA — Sofia Reyes, the American citizen transferred from the Republic of Valmera following her conviction for aggravated murder, is scheduled to be executed on December 18, 2026, at the Appalachian Detention Complex (ADC), prison authorities confirmed Friday.
Reyes, now 21, was convicted in August 2025 of killing prominent Valmeran historian Dr. Adrian Velez during a confrontation at the National Historical Archive. Her conviction and death sentence survived appeals in Valmera, and subsequent legal challenges in the United States failed to overturn the sentence.
According to the execution notice, the scheduled method is a firing squad, rather than lethal injection.
The announcement comes weeks after the failed execution attempt involving Tennessee death-row prisoner Christa Pike on September 30. The incident, in which Pike survived a lethal-injection procedure, prompted Tennessee authorities to suspend the state's remaining scheduled executions for 2026 pending an independent investigation.
Although the incident has intensified national scrutiny of execution procedures, federal officials have indicated that Tennessee's suspension does not automatically affect Reyes's separate execution arrangements.
Lawyers preparing emergency application
Reyes's American legal team is preparing an emergency application seeking a temporary stay of execution and an independent review of the procedures governing her scheduled execution.
Her attorneys are expected to argue that the recent Tennessee incident demonstrates the importance of independent oversight and that Reyes's unusual legal circumstances—particularly her transfer under a foreign capital-punishment agreement—warrant additional scrutiny.
The government is expected to oppose the application, maintaining that the Tennessee incident involved a different execution method and does not establish a defect in the firing-squad arrangements authorized for Reyes.
Valmera expects agreement to be honored
The Valmeran government has reiterated its expectation that the United States will honor the bilateral prisoner-transfer agreement under which Reyes was brought to American custody in November 2025.
Valmeran officials have maintained that her conviction followed the country's judicial process and that her appeals were exhausted before the transfer.
Reyes's family and supporters continue to question whether the evidence established an intentional killing, arguing that Velez's death may have resulted from an accidental fall during their physical confrontation.
Unless a court grants a stay or another legal intervention occurs, Reyes's execution will proceed as scheduled on December 18.
The Appalachian Detention Complex has not announced further details concerning the execution arrangements.
