BENTONVILLE -- A notice of appeal has been filed on behalf of the Bella Vista father who was sentenced to death for killing his 6-year-old son.
Mauricio Alejandro Torres, 45, was found guilty of capital murder and first-degree battery. A jury recommended last month that Torres die by lethal injection, and Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren sentenced Torres to death. Torres is being held on death row at Varner Supermax in Gould.
Maurice Isaiah Torres, 6, died March 30, 2015, at a Bella Vista hospital. A medical examiner said the boy's death was caused by a bacterial infection as a result of being sodomized with a stick. The medical examiner also said chronic child abuse contributed to the child's death.
Mauricio Torres' wife, Cathy, also is charged with capital murder and first-degree battery. Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty against her as well.
Her trial is set for May. She has pleaded innocent to the charges and is being held without bail.
Metro on 12/10/2016