BENTONVILLE -- The parents accused of killing their 6-year-old son appeared in court Thursday morning for a hearing about the wife's request for an order of protection against her husband.
Mauricio Alejandro Torres, 45, and Cathy Torres, 43, are being held without bond in the Benton County jail. They were arrested April 6 in connection with capital murder, rape and first-degree battery. Prosecutors haven't filed formal charges against the Bella Vista couple.
Facebook page established
Lindsey VanBlaricom of Bella Vista has created a Facebook page — The Voice of Isaiah Torres — in memory of Maurice Isaiah Torres, 6.
“I feel like it should not be ignored,” VanBlaricom said. “It’s been in the news and it is so horrific and gut wrenching.”
VanBlaricom wants people to place pinwheels in memory of Isaiah at the intersection of Bella Vista Way and Riordan Road across the street from Dairy Queen on May 3.
“There will be no type of ceremony, but people can come by the location and place a pinwheel in his memory,” VanBlaricom said. “I would love to have as many as possible. We want it to be a visual statement for Isaiah because it (child abuse) is something we all need to pay more attention to.”
Source: Staff report
Maurice Isaiah Torres, 6, was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead March 29. A medical examiner later determined the boy suffered from chronic child abuse, and his death was from internal injuries caused by being raped, according to court documents.
Cathy Torres filed for a protection order a few days before the couple's arrest April 6. She didn't want to have any contact with her husband. The request also extended to their 6- and 7-year-old daughters, who were put in Arkansas Department of Human Services custody after the boy died.
Deputies brought the couple to court Thursday for a hearing on the protection order.
Circuit Judge Tom Smith asked them if they had attorneys in the protection order case. They didn't. Attorneys have been appointed to represent them in the criminal cases.
"I have one, but he told me not to worry about this case," Cathy Torres told Smith.
Smith didn't see the need for the order since the Torreses are in jail and their two daughters are in state custody. Smith dismissed the petition.
Cathy Torres claims in the petition for the order their son died due to abuse from her husband. Cathy Torres believes her husband "is the only man who had access to their son for an extended period of time on the days leading up to his death," according to a summary prepared for the petition.
The children were homeschooled, and the family went camping the weekend before Maurice's death, according to the summary.
Cathy Torres claims she was scared to talk with police and answer questions because her husband had threatened to kill her, and he once told her he would bury her in the backyard. He also had put his finger to her head like a gun, according to the court documents seeking the protection order.
The Torreses' arraignments before Circuit Judge Brad Karren are set for 8 a.m. May 4.
NW News on 04/24/2015