An Arizona man was sentenced to life in prison after shooting and killing his girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter in front of their 1-year-old son.
Brandon Andres Bautista Torres, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree premeditated murder and one count of reckless manslaughter last month, nearly six years after killing 23-year-old Selina Toyos and her daughter, Aleena Bermudez, who died just days before turning five. On Tuesday, a judge sentenced Torres to the rest of his natural life in prison as punishment for the crime, which the Maricopa County District Attorney described as “horrific and cowardly.”
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According to local Fox affiliate KSAZ, police responded to a call from Torres on June 30, 2019. He told police that a homeless man had broken into the home he shared with Toyos, her daughter, and the couple’s 1-year-old son. Torres claimed that the intruder shot Toyos and Bermudez before fleeing the scene with his son for safety.
However, court records show that Torres told several stories that day.
According to KNXV, a local ABC affiliate that obtained the court records, Torres informed his parents that he would be dropping off his son with them so that he could go to the movies with Toyos and Bermudez.
According to KSAZ, Torres later told police that while attempting to disarm the intruder, the gun went off, killing Toyos and Bermudez. Another widely reported detail from the court documents was Torres’ failure to call police three hours after the shooting. According to KNXV, he was afraid the intruder would “get more people and come back,” as well as “because he was Hispanic, and he had seen ICE raids before.” He was also concerned about “being blamed,” according to local CBS affiliate KOLD.
Torres’ history of domestic violence against Toyos was eventually discovered, including one incident in which he threatened her with a firearm, authorities said.
County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement, “This was a horrific and cowardly act of domestic violence that took the lives of two innocent people. He no longer deserves the opportunity to walk freely in this community.”
Torres originally faced two counts of first-degree premeditated murder and pleaded not guilty. In April, he pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree premeditated murder and one count of reckless manslaughter.
Torres was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison for murder and an additional 15 years for manslaughter.
