Accused Lower Moreland killer faces August trial

An August trial date has been set for a Maryland man accused of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend at her Lower Moreland home.

William Tomas Torres, 63, of Elkton, Md., will face a Montgomery County Court jury on Aug. 23 when his trial is slated to get under way in connection with the alleged Nov. 25, 2019, fatal shooting of 57-year-old Jeanne Edwards.

The trial before Judge William R. Carpenter is expected to last five days. The trial date was scheduled after a conference between the judge and the lawyers in the case.

Jury trials were suspended in the county in March 2020 as a

precaution when the coronavirus pandemic surfaced. With vaccinations increasing and the COVID-19 positivity rate decreasing in the county jury trials are now being scheduled for late summer and early fall.

Torres, 63, faces charges of first- and third-degree murder, simple assault, possession of a weapon and recklessly endangering another person.

If he’s convicted of firstdegree murder, which is an intentional killing, Torres faces life imprisonment. A conviction of third-degree murder, a killing committed with malice, carries a possible maximum sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison.

Assistant District Attorney Brianna Ringwood is prosecuting the case. Defense lawyer Carrie Lynn Allman, the chief homicide lawyer in the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office, represents Torres.

Torres will remain in the county jail without bail while awaiting trial.

The investigation began about 5:24 p.m. Nov. 25, 2019, when Lower Moreland police responded to a residence in the 2300 block of Dale Road for a report of a shooting. Arriving officers found Edwards suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, and she was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Edwards’ son told authorities he arrived home from work and heard a “pop” as he pulled into the driveway, according to the criminal complaint filed by

county Detective Gregory Henry and Lower Moreland Detective Holly Halota.

When he entered the house, the victim’s son saw Torres, who he knew as his mother’s ex-boyfriend, standing in the doorway holding a shotgun pointed at him, according to the arrest affidavit.

“Torres told (the victim’s son) that his mother ruined his life. Torres then fled the house and (the victim’s son) called 911,” Henry and Halota wrote in the criminal complaint.

Limerick Township police arrested Torres a short time later at a private residence in that township.

A woman who resided at the Limerick residence told detectives she knew Torres for about a month and was dating him, according to court papers. The woman said Torres arrived at her home about 6:30 p.m. and said, “I need to tell you something,” according to the arrest affidavit.

Torres allegedly proceeded to tell the Limerick woman that he purchased a shotgun that day and drove to the home of his ex-girlfriend.

“Torres said he then shot his ex-girlfriend twice and was unsure if she ‘made it,’” detectives alleged in court papers.