Jury selection underway in Torres’ murder case

BENTONVILLE — Attorneys will begin questioning prospective jurors this morning as they start selecting 15 people to serve on the jury for a Bella Vista man accused of killing his 6-year-old son.

Mauricio Alejandro Torres, 50, is charged with capital murder and battery. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

It will be Torres’ second trial. He was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death, but last year the Arkansas Supreme Court overturned the conviction and ordered a retrial.

He’s accused of sodomizing his son with a stick in Missouri, causing his death. The boy died March 30, 2015, at a Bella Vista medical clinic. A medical examiner testified in the 2016 trial the boy’s death was caused by a bacterial infection resulting from sodomy.

Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren presided Tuesday over the first day of jury selection. One hundred people were summoned to Bentonville District Court.

Karren did the initial questioning of the prospective Torres jurors, then their names were called and they were given times to report today to his courtroom where attorneys will begin their questioning.

Three prospective jurors will be questioned at one time, and prosecutors and Mauricio Torres’ attorney will each have 45 minutes to talk with the panels.

It may take several days to select the jury. The judge has scheduled panels to begin reporting through March 2.

Twelve jurors and three alternates will be selected for the case.

The same witnesses are expected to testify during the trial who were called in the first trial.

Both prosecutors and the defense team have Cathy Torres on their witness lists. She’s the boy’s mother. She pleaded guilty in March 2017 to capital murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Mauricio Torres is being held without bond in the Benton County Jail.

He faces life imprisonment or a death sentence if convicted of the murder charge. He could be sentenced from five to 20 years if a jury finds him guilty of the battery charge.