Detectives believe the suspect, 23-year-old Anibal Edilfredo Chirino Mejia, had lost money in a real estate transaction with Torres and meant to sue him, police spokesman Lt. Pedro Barineau said.
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Detectives analyzed Torres’ phone to review his communications before the slaying around June 10, police said. The news release does not indicate his journalism work had anything to do with his death, but says that he may have been targeted because of a real estate matter. “It wasn’t even worth putting a gun on somebody”.
Authorities were able to determine that Torres and Mejia had been communicating prior to his death, and that Torres had lawsuits filed against him in connection with purchasing homes.
Torres published hundreds of articles for the Spanish-language newspaper La Estrella. His editor and associates described him as a dedicated reporter who wrote stories and took photos aside from his full-time real estate job. UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural agency, promotes the safety of journalists globally.
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Anyone with information can call Garland police at 972-485-4840 or submit a tip anonymously at 972-272- 8477 or www.garlandcrimestoppers.org. Tipsters are eligible for a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest or indictment. Mejia, police believe, killed Torres over a house sale gone bad. Torres was also the subject of several other lawsuits based on things like improperly placed liens and the failure to return a security deposit in a timely manner.
