Mauricio Torres is a man from Arkansas who was convicted in the brutal murder of his six year old son. According to police reports Mauricio Torres would sexually assault and murder the six year old boy during a camping trip. The beating was so horrific the boy would die the next day in the hospital. Mauricio Torres would finally be convicted on his third trial as the first ended in a hung jury and the second was declared a mistrial. For some reason the jury did not want to recommend the death penalty so Mauricio Torres was sentenced to life in prison with no chances at parole.
Mauricio Torres More News
A Benton County jury has sentenced Mauricio Torres to life in prison without the possibility of parole after he was found guilty of killing his six-year-old son for the third time.
He was convicted after prosecutors argued his son died after Mauricio had abused the boy during a camping trip to the point he died a day later at an Arkansas hospital.
Torres was found guilty in two previous trials. The first was turned over on appeal, and the second was declared a mistrial after an outburst from a family member during the sentencing phase.
Torres’s wife, Cathy, who is serving life in prison for six-year-old Isaiah’s death after taking a plea deal, testified before Torres in the trials, stating she never knew the extent of her son’s injuries.
“I believe and still believe Mauricio Torres still deserves the death penalty for the abuse, torture and the murder of his son. Ultimately, that is up to the jury. I am disappointed in their verdict but it is their verdict,” Benton County Prosecutor Nathan Smith said.
Torres’s attorney Jeff Rosenzweig said he was gratified for the jury’s decision to sentence his client to life in prison. “We are very gratified by the jury’s decision. We know they worked hard in coming to their conclusion. We worked hard, the prosecutors worked hard. We are just very gratified it came out this way.”
Charges:
- Guilty of battery in the 1st degree
- Guilty of capital murder
Warning: Details in this article reference graphic descriptions of child abuse. Please continue reading with caution.
According to the initial investigation, Mauricio used a stick to sexually abuse his son Isaiah while the family was camping in Missouri.
Other acts of child abuse the prosecution touched on were Isaiah’s teeth being pulled out with pliers, bathed in bleach, being beaten with a stick, and having a stick shoved up his rectum more than once— which is the final instance which caused the internal injuries that caused Isaiah’s death.
In 2016, Mauricio was sentenced to death. However, the ruling was turned over on appeal due to jurisdiction.
Torres was found guilty a second time in March 2020, but during the sentencing, his adult stepson lunged at Torres after he was questioned about if he, too, was sexually abused by his stepfather. The circuit court ordered a mistrial.
His third and final trial began on Feb. 9, 2023. The trial lasted a week, with closing arguments ending around 11 a.m. on Feb. 16.
