12 jurors seated in Torres’ capital murder trial

BENTONVILLE — Seven men and five women have been selected as jurors for Mauricio Torres’ third murder trial.

Jury selection started last week. The final three jurors were chosen Tuesday.

Three alternates are needed, so jury selection will continue today.

Opening statements are expected to begin Thursday if all the alternates are selected today.

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 parole. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

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 died March 30, 2015, according to court documents.

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

Circuit Judge Brad Karren declared a mistrial and ruled Torres should have another trial.

Cathy Torres, Mauricio Torres’ wife, pleaded guilty in 2016 to capital murder and battery and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. She is on the witness list for the third trial.