People helping people.

'Redneck Air Force’ Reportedly Steps Up After FEMA’s Lackluster Response
to Helene'

<https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/10/redneck-air-force-reportedly-steps-femas-lackluster-response/>

'Turns out that even in the face of unmitigated disaster and tragedy,
good men can still step up — and with some humor in their hearts, as
well.

As the American southeast continues to grapple with the debilitating
aftermath of Hurricane Helene, many eyes have turned to the Federal
Emergency Management Agency to see how the government organization would
respond to this catastrophe.

Helene’s damage was a multi-state affair, starting in Florida and moving
up the east coast through Georgia and Tennessee, ending up in North
Carolina.

And it’s in the Tar Heel State that this story of good men with a sense
of humor originates.

Asheville, North Carolina, continues to grapple with the cataclysmic
fallout from Helene, with much of the city still looking like a ravaged
war zone, weeks after the devastating storm hit.

Compounding matters, the scrutinized FEMA appears too overwhelmed to
offer consistent, expedited assistance to the swathes of Americans who
need it.

Money and other issues appear to have hamstrung the government arm —
prompting everyday Americans to pick up the slack.

Which brings this story back to North Carolina, where a group described
by the New York Post as a “homegrown rescue and supply operation” is
doing what FEMA is apparently incapable of doing.

The operation is running out of a Harley-Davidson dealership and is
being overseen by people with some impressive military backgrounds.

Take retired Green Beret Adam Smith, for instance, who had a biting
two-word response when asked by the Post about FEMA.

“Who’s FEMA?” Smith responded.

A clearly unsatisfied Smith added, “This disaster has definitively
proven without a shadow of a doubt FEMA’s incompetence and
incapability.”

Smith and crew are reportedly using “a fleet of 35 helicopters that have
flown hundreds of rescue, reconnaissance and resupply sorties.” The
aircraft are privately owned.

The Post noted that FEMA arrived nearly a week after a storm that had
killed at least 232 people — with nearly half of that total coming from
North Carolina.

While these men are operating with deadly efficiency — as is warranted —
they’re also doing so with a smile on their faces, mostly due to the
nickname bestowed upon the group.

While referred to by some as the “Savage Freedoms Relief Operation,”
Smith and others enjoy a different name given to the outfit: the
“Redneck Air Force.”

Of course, the “Redneck Air Force” is hardly the only civilian-run
operation doing charitable work.

FEMA or no, the American spirit of camaraderie is alive and well, if men
like Biffle and Smith are anything to go by.'

On 10/8/2024 5:37 AM, John Smyth wrote:
> People helping people.
>
> 'Redneck Air Force’ Reportedly Steps Up After FEMA’s Lackluster Response
> to Helene'
>
> <https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/10/redneck-air-force-reportedly-steps-femas-lackluster-response/>
>
> 'Turns out that even in the face of unmitigated disaster and tragedy,
> good men can still step up — and with some humor in their hearts, as
> well.
>
> As the American southeast continues to grapple with the debilitating
> aftermath of Hurricane Helene, many eyes have turned to the Federal
> Emergency Management Agency to see how the government organization would
> respond to this catastrophe.
>
> Helene’s damage was a multi-state affair, starting in Florida and moving
> up the east coast through Georgia and Tennessee, ending up in North
> Carolina.
>
> And it’s in the Tar Heel State that this story of good men with a sense
> of humor originates.
>
> Asheville, North Carolina, continues to grapple with the cataclysmic
> fallout from Helene, with much of the city still looking like a ravaged
> war zone, weeks after the devastating storm hit.
>
>
> Compounding matters, the scrutinized FEMA appears too overwhelmed to
> offer consistent, expedited assistance to the swathes of Americans who
> need it.
>
> Money and other issues appear to have hamstrung the government arm —
> prompting everyday Americans to pick up the slack.
>
>
> Which brings this story back to North Carolina, where a group described
> by the New York Post as a “homegrown rescue and supply operation” is
> doing what FEMA is apparently incapable of doing.
>
> The operation is running out of a Harley-Davidson dealership and is
> being overseen by people with some impressive military backgrounds.
>
> Take retired Green Beret Adam Smith, for instance, who had a biting
> two-word response when asked by the Post about FEMA.
>
> “Who’s FEMA?” Smith responded.
>
> A clearly unsatisfied Smith added, “This disaster has definitively
> proven without a shadow of a doubt FEMA’s incompetence and
> incapability.”
>
> Smith and crew are reportedly using “a fleet of 35 helicopters that have
> flown hundreds of rescue, reconnaissance and resupply sorties.” The
> aircraft are privately owned.
>
> The Post noted that FEMA arrived nearly a week after a storm that had
> killed at least 232 people — with nearly half of that total coming from
> North Carolina.
>
>
>
> While these men are operating with deadly efficiency — as is warranted —
> they’re also doing so with a smile on their faces, mostly due to the
> nickname bestowed upon the group.
>
> While referred to by some as the “Savage Freedoms Relief Operation,”
> Smith and others enjoy a different name given to the outfit: the
> “Redneck Air Force.”
>
> Of course, the “Redneck Air Force” is hardly the only civilian-run
> operation doing charitable work.
>
>
> FEMA or no, the American spirit of camaraderie is alive and well, if men
> like Biffle and Smith are anything to go by.'

The Biden FEMA should be tarred, feathered, all retirement credits
revoked and summarily fired.

On Tue, 8 Oct 2024 12:44:25 -0700, michael horton <mikehorton@ucsb.edu> wrote:

>The Biden FEMA should be tarred, feathered, all retirement credits
>revoked and summarily fired.

Or maybe Mike Johnson and the Republicans should vote in the money FEMA needs to
do its job.

--
Although Trump is not among Project 2025'- 34 authors, more than half are appointees
and staff from his time as president; the words "Trump" and "Trump
Administration" appear 300 times in its pages. At least 140 former Trump
officials are involved in Project 2025, according to a CNN tally. It’s
reasonable to expect that a second Trump presidency would follow many of
the project’s recommendations.

Two more reasons to not vote for Trump in 28 days.

36) When none of the previous schemes worked, Trump and
his allies produced fake electoral votes cast by fake electors
in multiple swing states.

37) Trump tried to bully Vice President Pence into obstructing
the certification of the election.
"If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election."

Governor Swill <governor.swill@gmail.com> writes:

> On Tue, 8 Oct 2024 12:44:25 -0700, michael horton <mikehorton@ucsb.edu> wrote:
>
>>The Biden FEMA should be tarred, feathered, all retirement credits
>>revoked and summarily fired.
>
> Or maybe Mike Johnson and the Republicans should vote in the money FEMA needs to
> do its job.

Not if they're going to use DIE in deciding who gets aid.

>
>'Redneck Air Force� T Reportedly Steps Up After FEMA� Ts Lackluster Response
>to Helene'

Biden and Harris are simply withholding aid to follow God's orders to
continue punishing the Trumpers for their misguided ways and hatred.

They should thank their lucky stars that he didn't order the national guard
to use live ammo against civilians like Trump is promising.

Once Trump is out of the way and in prison, it will take months to hunt down
and finish off the traitorous Trump loyalists and their freedom hating ways.

>Not if they're going to use DIE in deciding who gets aid.

It would be a good use of DEI in determining who is a valued American and who
hasn't earned the right to deserve it.

The rightists who pretend to be ruggedly independant can fend for themselves
and if they're caught looting, they'll be shot on sight.

BENTONVILLE -- Mauricio Torres told a police detective he was about to make him a hero before he confessed to raping his son, which led to the boy's death.

Torres, 46, of Bella Vista is charged with capital murder and first-degree battery. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty. The trial continues today. Prosecutors may call two more witnesses before resting their case.

Maurice Isaiah Torres, 6, died March 30, 2015. A medical examiner concluded the boy's death was the result of injuries from being raped and chronic child abuse.

The jury on Wednesday watched two recordings of Bella Vista Police Capt. Tim Cook interviewing Torres.

Cook interviewed Torres at the Benton County Jail on April 7, 2015. Cook had also interviewed him the previous day. Torres requested that Cook come talk with him. Torres waived his rights and talked with Cook without an attorney present. In the first interview played Wednesday, which lasted 3½ hours, he maintained that his son's death was accidental.

"I'm about to make you a hero of this in Bella Vista," Torres told Cook at the start the second interview.

A upset and seemingly angry Torres said he was going to give Cook information to investigate. Torres was upset because he believed his wife, Cathy, had betrayed him and blamed him for the boy's death. Torres said he told Cathy he never would betray her and she now was using that against him.

Cathy Torres, 45, is charged with capital murder and first-degree battery. She has previously pleaded innocent to the charges. Her trial is set for next May.

Mauricio Torres said they never intended for their son to die.

"You wanted the truth," Torres said. "I'm telling you the truth."

Torres sat Wednesday at a table with his defense team as the recording played in a darkened courtroom. He looked down and never looked at the video as it played on a screen near him.

"I said it was accidental because there was no intention to kill him," Torres told Cook in the interview.

Torres said he placed a stick in his son's "bottom, but not all the way in."

He said they used that punishment so his wife would not have to spank him. The couple had tried exercise and making Isaiah stand in the corner as punishment, Torres said. The couple took sweets from their daughters and that worked as punishment for the girls, but not Isaiah, Torres said.

The family was on a camping trip in Missouri when he placed the stick in his son's rectum. Cathy Torres later became upset and pushed Isaiah down and he fell on the stick, Mauricio Torres told the detective. Torres said the stick was later burned. Torres said his son later complained about having stomach pains.

Cathy Torres was upset because Isaiah had eaten cake, Mauricio Torres said in the interview.

Torres said he first placed a stick in his son's rectum about a month before the boy died. It was the same stick used in Missouri. The couple also used the stick to spank Isaiah, Torres said.

Torres said his son's death was accidental but "that abuse caused his death."

Torres also admitted he and his wife spanked the boy and caused some of the bruises that were on Isaiah's body.

"I just hung myself," Torres said after telling Cook he was telling the truth.

Torres told Cook he was telling the truth even though he may get "the needle," a reference to the state's method of capital punishment.

Jeff Rosenzweig, one of Torres' attorneys, requested a mistrial since jurors heard references to the word "needle." Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren denied the request.

https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2016/nov/10/man-admits-to-rape-in-death-of-son-6-20/

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — The third trial for Mauricio Torres begins on Monday, Jan. 30 in Benton County, according to court documents.

Torres was found guilty of capital murder twice, once in 2016 and once in 2020, for raping and killing his 6-year-old son, Isaiah, in March 2015.

He was sentenced to death in 2016 for using a stick to sexually assault Isaiah while the family was camping in Missouri.

The boy died at an Arkansas hospital the day after the assault.

Torres’ attorneys have said his actions were intended as punishment and the father didn’t know they could kill the boy.

A medical examiner testified that the boy’s death was caused by a bacterial infection resulting from sodomy and chronic child abuse.

The 2016 conviction was overturned by the Arkansas Supreme Court in 2019 due to questions about jurisdictionand because prosecutors could not use rape as justification for a capital murder charge.

Torres' 2020 trial ended in a mistrial when his stepson leaped out of the witness stand and tried to attack him in court while testifying during the sentencing phase.

ARKANSAS MAN TWICE CONVICTED OF KILLING SON FACES 3RD TRIAL

Torres now faces charges of capital murder and first degree battery.

Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for him, according to our content partner, 40/29 News.

Jury selection for the third trial is set to begin Monday.

https://katv.com/news/local/third-trial-for-arkansas-man-accused-of-raping-killing-his-6-year-old-son-begins-monday-mauricio-torres-benton-county-isaiah-torres-arkansas-supreme-court-overturned-capital-murder-sexual-assault-mistrial-jurisdiction-death-penalty-bella-vista-guilty

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — A man accused of killing his 6-year-old son in 2015 by sodomizing him with a stick and forcing him to do squats is on trial for the second time in an Arkansas courtroom.

Mauricio Alejandro Torres, 50, of Bella Vista, is charged with capital murder and first-degree battery, according to Benton County Jail records. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

Opening statements in the case began Thursday. On Friday, jurors heard from the emergency room doctor who tried to save Mauricio “Isaiah” Torres’s life when he was brought to Mercy Bella Vista Medical Center the night of March 29, 2015.

“He had wounds all over his body,” Dr. Franklin Mayhue said, according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. “This was an extreme picture of a child who was not only dead, but dead from a bizarre situation.”

Mayhue also testified about the lack of reaction Torres and his wife, Cathy Lynn Torres, had when he told them their son had died.

“There was an absence of a normal grieving response from parents that lost a child,” Mayhue said.

Two of Isaiah Torres’ former teachers testified Thursday afternoon about the concerns they had for his welfare during the 2013-2014 school year. Peri Heffernan, his kindergarten teacher, and music teacher Hannah Paul both told of seeing multiple large bruises on the boy’s body.

The women also testified that Isaiah stole other children’s lunches and scavenged food from the trash, the Democrat Gazette reported. Heffernan took photos of his bruises and reported her concerns to the state child abuse hotline.

No one ever responded to the report, the teachers testified. The following school year, Isaiah did not return to the school because his parents began homeschooling him.

Paul described what Isaiah was like when he was in her class.

“He had a great smile and contagious joy,” Paul said, according to the newspaper. “He was a great kid.”

https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.18169-9/15027949_1232087183532670_2716924035296641889_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=28cac4&_nc_ohc=02_mgwYehNUQ7kNvgFOnxmQ&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-1.xx&edm=AFLVAf4EAAAA&oh=00_AYDCFZ-Yy4Bk70oyWdoNCvGXq5aSX0Ed2KbroXtk89-xeg&oe=673642E8
Isaiah Torres' sister testified, their dad, Mauricio Torres, made Isaiah sleep in a locked cage, or trash can in bathroom and abused him.
Isaiah had nearly 100 injuries just to his head and back, teeth knocked out, nose broken, old and fresh bruises cut welts all over his body - according to Medical Examiner, who also found signs of sexual abuse....

Mauricio Torres was found guilty Nov. 15, 2016, of both charges in the death of his son, but his conviction was later overturned. According to the Democrat Gazette, a medical examiner testified at the first trial that Isaiah died of a bacterial infection he developed after being sodomized during a family vacation in Missouri.

Isaiah died early the morning of March 30 after the family had returned home.

Cathy Torres pleaded guilty to capital murder and battery in March 2017 and was sentenced to serve life in prison without parole. Though she didn’t testify at her husband’s first trial, she is on the prosecution’s list of potential witnesses the second time around, the Democrat Gazette reported.

“As part of her plea agreement, Cathy Torres agreed to provide truthful testimony if needed,” Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Smith said, according to the newspaper. “Pursuant to the court order, we filed a witness list including everyone we may need to call at trial so that the defendant will be on notice of all potential witnesses. The actual decision of which witnesses to call will be made closer to trial as the case unfolds.”

Jail records show Cathy Torres, 48, was transferred last week to the Benton County Jail for the trial. She is usually housed at the Arkansas Department of Corrections’ McPherson Women’s Unit near Newport, according to prison records.

Editor’s note: The following portion of the story contains graphic details that may be disturbing to some readers.

According to court records, Mauricio Torres and his wife, Cathy Torres, were camping March 29, 2015, with Isaiah and their two daughters when they awoke to find Isaiah had eaten some cake without their permission.

“For the offense of eating cake without permission, Isaiah was punished by inserting a stick into his rectum and forcing him to do squats,” the court documents say.

In his confession, Mauricio Torres described Isaiah’s punishment to police by saying that spanking the boy never worked.

“I just put the stick in his bottom again, you know. Like you said, that power. And I said, ‘In the corner, you know, up and down,’” Torres told investigators.

Cathy Torres became angry that Isaiah was “not squatting fast enough,” so she pushed him down.

“This drove the stick deeper inside of Isaiah’s body and pierced his rectum,” the documents say.

Over the next several hours, Isaiah became ill. By the time they got home that night, he was unresponsive.

“(Mauricio) Torres did not seek medical care for Isaiah until nearly midnight. When emergency responders arrived, Isaiah was in cardiac arrest,” the records say. “He was transported to a hospital in Benton County, Arkansas, but soon died.”

Isaiah’s official cause of death was acute fecal purulent peritonitis, or a bacterial infection of the abdominal cavity that occurred after feces entered through his torn rectum. The feces and subsequent pus that developed killed the boy.

The forensic pathologist who conducted his autopsy also found extensive injuries on the boy’s body, in various stages of healing, and describing his condition as a “textbook case of chronic child abuse,” according to the records.

“Thick scar tissue lined the interior of Isaiah’s skull cap from repeated, significant and traumatic head injuries,” the court documents say. “Isaiah’s nose had been broken, flattened and deformed. His teeth had been forcibly removed. The injuries on his back included severe bruising, chemical burns and multiple lacerations resembling whip marks. His hands and arms were covered in defensive wounds. And, shortly before his death, Isaiah sustained substantial and traumatic blows to his head and a blunt force injury encompassing his chest, back and abdomen.”

The boy’s sister testified at their father’s trial that Isaiah was regularly beaten with a cable and with the stick that caused his death. The chemical burns he suffered were caused by his being forced to bathe with bleach, she said.

“Torres had removed Isaiah’s teeth with pliers as punishment for speaking ill of him,” the documents say. “He had forced Isaiah to consume his feces and urine. Moreover, Isaiah’s blood was found spattered throughout the Bella Vista home and the Missouri camper.”

Jurors found Mauricio Torres guilty of both charges and sentenced him to death.

Both his conviction and death sentence were overturned last year after his attorneys successfully argued that the judge erred in denying him a directed verdict on one of two theories of the crime: that the murder either took place during the course of a rape or as the result of child abuse.

The underlying crime in either scenario was necessary for a death sentence to apply in Torres’ case.

“First, the circuit court erred because the alleged acts did not meet the elements of rape as rape was defined in Missouri when the alleged offense occurred,” the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled. “Second, the alleged acts did not occur in Arkansas; therefore, Arkansas law could not have applied.”

The defense also argued that, because the rape felony murder case was legally insufficient, and it was unclear if the jury convicted Torres on the basis of rape or child abuse, his conviction should be overturned and the case remanded for a new trial.

The justices found that, while death was the consequence of the rape, it was not an element of the crime. The state, they said, could not prove that an element of the underlying crime took place in Arkansas, and prosecutors could not establish that Arkansas had jurisdiction to accuse Torres of raping his son.

“Because of this, the rape felony murder is insufficient, which in turn taints the entire verdict because the jury completed a general verdict form,” the court ruled. “Stated differently … because of the general-verdict-form formulation, we are unable to determine which formula -- rape felony murder or child abuse-murder -- the jury based its conviction on.”

Torres’ conviction and sentence were overturned by a 4-3 vote.

Read the Arkansas Supreme Court ruling below. Warning: The document contains graphic details of Isaiah Torres’ death.

Mauricio Alejandro Torres Court Ruling by National Content Desk on Scribd

https://www.scribd.com/document/449411663/Mauricio-Alejandro-Torres-Court-Ruling#from_embed
https://www.scribd.com/document/449411663/Mauricio-Alejandro-Torres-Court-Ruling#download&from_embed

Smith, who also prosecuted Torres the first time, spoke out against the high court’s ruling to 5News in Fayetteville last year.

“The vote of one justice invalidated the will of 12 jurors in Benton County and forces the victim’s family and the survivors to go through this again, so it’s a hard day for them, and it was hard to tell them that, and it’s just unfortunate,” Smith said, according to the news station.

One of the jurors in Torres’ first trial also discussed the proceedings and the difficulties the jury faced in determining whether or not to ask for a man’s execution.

“We all agreed on it, and before we even walked out of that room to get the bailiff and tell them we made a decision, we all sat there and prayed about our decision, and I think that speaks volumes for itself, because a lot of people weren’t religious, but we all came together and said, ‘We need to pray about this decision,’” Kacie Alverson said.

https://gray-wmctv-prod.gtv-cdn.com/resizer/v2/6T3ZX3SLMZFUXICDXRMFZLV7OY.jpg?auth=b55d3d57731ab121a57fca8b2d3092ebfa25ff604c96694128cfb52216de6651&width=1600&height=900&smart=true
Darren Wright(SCSO)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - A man is accused of breaking into multiple bars in Downtown Memphis and stealing liquor.

Darren Wright, 39, is charged with burglary and theft of property $2,500 - $10,000.

Memphis Police were called to a burglary at the Memphis Chess Club on Madison Avenue on September 20, October 1, and October 8.

Surveillance video showed a man breaking into the front door of the business and stealing liquor bottles in all three burglaries.

On October 11, Wright is accused of breaking into and stealing liquor from King’s Palace Cafe and Blues Hall on Beale Street.

According to MPD, Wright stole a total of $2,800 worth of liquor over three weeks.

https://www.actionnews5.com/2024/10/15/man-steals-nearly-3k-worth-liquor-multiple-downtown-memphis-bars-said-police/

BENTONVILLE – A jury was deciding Tuesday whether Mauricio Torres should be executed for killing his 6-year-old son.

The eight men and four women started deliberations on the sentencing Tuesday after hearing instructions from Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren and closing statements from the attorneys.

The jury found Torres, 53, guilty of capital murder and battery last week in the death of Maurice Isaiah Torres. Isaiah died March 30, 2015, from an infection caused when a stick was shoved in his rectum. A medical examiner listed chronic child abuse as a factor in Isaiah's death.

Torres could be sentenced to death or life imprisonment without the benefit of parole for the murder conviction. He faces five to 20 years in prison for the battery conviction.

Torres said in a 2015 police interview he put the stick in his son's rectum, but later testified his son was holding the stick while doing squats. Torres said Isaiah fell on the stick, and it went inside his rectum.

The jurors saw photographs of bruises and wounds covering Isaiah's body.

Torres admitted he physically abused his son, but claimed his wife was responsible for most of the abuse delivered to Isaiah. Cathy Torres, 51, pleaded guilty in 2017 to capital murder and battery. She was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

Prosecutors presented testimony at the sentencing from Mauricio Torres' two adult children and adult stepdaughter he physically and sexually abused them as children.

Mauricio Torres pleaded with jurors to spare his life and not sentence him to death. He also told jurors about being physically and sexually abused.

Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Smith described the case Tuesday as an ugly and dark one. He told jurors he is sure some of them will never forget the images and testimony.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm not got going to make you look at these pictures again, but they represent the definition of torture," Smith said.

He told jurors the justice in the case was the death penalty, and he asked each juror to sign the form for death.

"A just sentence in this case for these crimes is the death penalty," Smith said. "I'm asking you to do justice for an abused and murdered 6-year-old boy name Isaiah Torres.

Jeff Rosenzweig, one of Torres' attorneys, asked the jury to spare the life of his client. He told the panel any one of them can spare his life because the decision has to be unanimous. Rosenzweig said Torres would spend the remainder of his life in prison and probably never see a child again.

He said the jury should consider the prosecutors never alleged Torres intended to kill his son.

"He didn't intend to torture," he said.

Rosenzweig said it was the jury's responsibility to determine justice.

Rosenzweig reminded jurors about Cathy Torres denied knowledge of the crime when she testified.

"Is it fair to execute Mauricio Torres when Cathy Torres was involved?" Rosenzweig asked.

He asked jurors to consider his client's past. One of Torres' aunts testified about seeing him repeatedly beaten when he was a child. Rosenzweig said Torres suffered from lack of self esteem he was love starved due to growing up without a mother and the abuse he suffered at a child.

"He could out run his family geographically, but not in his head," Rosenzweig said.

Rosenzweig said Torres is in his 50s and in poor health.

"He's a broken wretch of man," Rosenzweig said. "His life is in your hands. He can do good in a prison environment."

Smith had the final words to the jury. He said the death penalty is reserved for people like Torres who commit monstrous acts.

Mercy is important part of the law, but Torres refuses to admit to killing his son and abusing other children, Smith said. He said Torres had no sympathy or pity for his 6-year-old son, who was an innocent and vulnerable child. He told the jury the death penalty is appropriate even if Torres was abused as a child.

Benton County prosecutors listed three aggravating factors for seeking the death penalty in the case:

• Mauricio Torres previously committed another violent felony;

• The murder was committed in an especially cruel and depraved manner; and

• The murder was committed against a victim Torres knew was especially vulnerable because the boy was 12 years old or younger.

Some of the mitigating factors listed by the defense are:

• Torres is remorseful in his son's death;

• He suffered from post traumatic stress;

• He was abandoned by his mother and denied access to her;

• His wife received a life sentence for her crimes.

• He was conceived as result of rape or incest;

• He was exposed to civil war violence while a child in El Salvador;

• He was physically, psychologically and sexually abused as a child.

• He was a hard worker and was an occupational therapist and helped others recover from illness and injuries;

• He has skills to help others in prison;

• He suffered from morbid obesity.

• He did not intend for the death of his son and attempted to revive him; and

• He has provided spiritual assistance to other inmates in the Benton County Jail.

The jury must decide that one or all the aggravating factors out weigh the mitigating factors in order to sentence Torres to death.

It's the second time a jury has deliberated on whether Torres should live or die.

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 receive a new trial.

A second jury found Torres guilty of murder and battery. 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, but the Arkansas Supreme Court agreed with Karren.

https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/feb/21/jury-deliberates-between-life-and-death-for-bella/

https://gray-wmctv-prod.gtv-cdn.com/resizer/v2/UIGXSCKU3FGRFP7KRN5Z6XCD7Y.jpg?auth=02a6599328eecad0d5d00ab4c43aad033f56f3679ca65fe3cb3b41d521d83cea&width=1600&height=900&smart=true

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - Memphis police said a 50-year-old man raped and threatened his girlfriend after accusing her of having sexual relations with another man.

According to the affidavit, the victim told police she received a phone call on June 9 from Charles Gause, 50, who was "very angry and upset" and accused her of having sex with another man.

The woman said when she arrived home, Gause "held her by her belt buckle, and forced her into the bedroom. [victim] struggled to get away, but couldn't."

She then said that Gause "asked for the magazine clip from her handgun, and stated she would have to kill him, or he was going to kill her."

The woman said she started screaming and was afraid he would kill her.

According to the police affidavit, the victim said Gause forced her on the bed and forced her to have sex with him. She said "Gause threatened that she would have sex with him all night until she passed out."

After he left the bedroom and fell asleep on the living room couch, she grabbed her clothes, cellphone, and purse, and climbed out of the bedroom window and drove to a hotel.

She called Ridegeway Station Officers on Friday, June 10, to ask them to remove Gause from the Raleigh area home. She said she didn't tell officers about the sexual assault at this time.

She said she confided in a coworker, who encouraged her to go to police and file a report. At the encouragement and urging of her coworker, she filed the police report.

The victim was granted an Order of Protection against Gause and moved to a different location.

Gause is currently charged with rape and aggravated assault.

https://www.actionnews5.com/story/32320703/police-man-rapes-threatens-girlfriend/

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - A Memphis woman is facing six counts of attempted murder after she allegedly committed a drive-by shooting following a fight with another woman.

Khadijah Morrow, 30, is charged with six counts of attempted second-degree murder, employing a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony, being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun, and five counts of reckless endangerment.

https://gray-wmctv-prod.gtv-cdn.com/resizer/v2/TFVGFKIWPFBSHLJWX6ZIBRW7JE.png?auth=a43688e249651fd7d5de536e53da4af252d7ebc1a7a780ac14a1c26da93c9d99&width=1300&height=730&smart=true
Khadijah Morrow, 30(Shelby County Sheriff's Office)

According to the arrest affidavit, the shooting stemmed from a fight between Morrow and another woman at a home on Yale Avenue in Binghampton on Friday, October 4.

Morrow allegedly hit the woman in the head with a brick and left promising to “kill everyone at the house.”

She drove off in a black Ford Fusion and returned about thirty minutes later to fire several shots at people standing outside the home before speeding off.

Multiple rounds hit the house, but no one was injured.

Multiple witnesses identified Morrow as the shooter to police. She was officially booked on Monday.

Court records show Morrow was sentenced to three years in local confinement after being convicted of felony property theft in 2012.

No bond information is available at this time. Morrow is set to appear in court on Tuesday.

https://www.actionnews5.com/2024/10/14/memphis-woman-facing-6-counts-attempted-murder-after-drive-by-shooting/

https://gray-wmctv-prod.gtv-cdn.com/resizer/v2/3ZNHESMNH5FBXHV2LEWCULOB3U.png?auth=f4192019a9f3603ea577bf9f65e140b778750d5d2cc330b3815cb797ddc08e9a&width=1600&height=900&smart=true
Timothy Woods (left) and Roderic Crymes (right)(MPD)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Two men are arrested after leading police on a chase in a stolen car.

Timothy Woods is charged with theft of property, two counts of burglary, theft of property, evading arrest, aggravated assault and possession of controlled substance.

Roderic Crymes’ charges aren’t available at this time.

On Friday, Oct. 11, just before 1:30 p.m., Memphis police saw a white 2017 Nissan Maxima on North Germantown Parkway near I-40 that was responsible for a prowler at 1:20 p.m. at Kohl’s on 2335 Germantown Parkway.

The suspects burglarized a blue pickup truck in the area, according to police.

Officers attempted to stop the car and the driver of the Nissan refused to stop.

The Nissan was then found parked on the Red Roof Inn parking lot at 6055 Shelby Oaks Drive where suspects, Woods and Crymes got out of the vehicle and ran away, police say.

Police say Crymes was caught but Woods hid in the woods and waited for several officers to run past him.

Woods then got into the driver’s side of an uncovered officer’s 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 and drove away from the scene, according to police.

Officers pursued the Dodge Ram. One officer attempted to throw stop sticks but Woods tried to hit the officer with the stolen car, according to the affidavit.

Woods finally stopped the car on Primacy Parkway where he tried getting inside the passenger seat of a black Tahoe driven by a man who was later identified as Ladreylus Patterson.

Woods and Patterson were both taken into custody.

The Nissan Maxima was reported stolen on Tuesday, Oct. 8 out of the South Garage at the University of Memphis.

Crymes is held on a bond of $1,175,000 and Woods is held on a bond of $200,000.

They are both expected in court on Oct. 15.

https://www.actionnews5.com/2024/10/15/2-men-arrested-after-leading-police-chase-stolen-car/