BENTONVILLE -- Three more people were selected Friday to serve on the jury for Mauricio Torres' capital murder trial, bringing the total chosen to five.
Torres, 53, of Bella Vista is charged with capital murder and battery. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. If convicted of capital murder, Torres will be sentenced to death or life imprisonment without the benefit of parole. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Three people were selected during Friday's rounds of jury selection. Two people were seated Thursday on the jury. There are three men and two women who have been selected so far.
A total of 12 jurors, along with three alternates, are needed.
The attorneys have questioned six panels of jurors. Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren said at the current rate of juror selection, he expects opening statements in the trial could begin Thursday.
Torres is accused of shoving a stick in his 6-year-old son's rectum, causing an infection that led to the boy's death. Maurice Isaiah Torres, 6, died March 30, 2015, at a Bella Vista medical clinic, according to court documents.
Torres, who is being held without bond in the Benton County Jail, was tried, convicted and sentenced to death in 2016 in his son's murder, but the state Supreme Court overturned the conviction in 2019 and ordered Torres be given a new trial.
A second jury found Torres guilty of murder and battery charges. The proceedings ended during the sentencing phase March 5, 2020, when a witness jumped from the witness stand box and attempted to attack Torres. A Benton County sheriff's deputy and a bailiff stopped the witness from reaching Torres. Karren declared a mistrial and ruled Torres should have another trial. The Arkansas attorney general's office appealed Karren's decision, but the Arkansas Supreme Court agreed with Karren.
Prosecutors presented evidence in the previous trials showing the boy was repeatedly abused. During both of Torres' first two trials, a medical examiner testified the boy's death was caused by a bacterial infection resulting from sodomy and chronic child abuse.
Cathy Torres, Mauricio Torres' wife, pleaded guilty in 2016 to capital murder and battery and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. She testified during Torres' second trial and blamed her husband for abusing their son. She is on the witness list for the third trial.