BY DAVE PARRO
Aurora police and Kane County prosecutors were dealt a huge blow Wednesday afternoon when their first cold-case murder trial related to the June gang sweep ended in an acquittal.
It took the jury only two hours to decide that George Torres didn't kill Fernando Dieppa in 1997, or at least that there wasn't enough evidence to prove it. There are still 30 defendants awaiting trial in 22 old murders, but this isn't a good start.
Maybe Operation First Degree Burn isn't going to be a "death blow" to the Latin Kings after all.
Prosecutors did win a cold-case murder trial in August against Jose Salinas, who was the very first to be charged after the formation of Aurora's Cold Case Task Force (before the sweep). So we know that cases can be won with conflicting testimony and a lack of hard evidence. Maybe the split verdicts in the first two trials mean we'll see a mixed bag.
The weakness of the Torres case was evident Tuesday when the defense rested without presenting any evidence or witnesses. That came after prosecutors took only about a day to call their witnesses.
Hopefully their other cases are stronger. Otherwise Operation First Degree Burn is going to turn into a huge bust for the APD.
May God help you all!!
This one witness used in the Torres trial is a so called witness in 5 more trials to come?!! What a waste of tax money! But maybe not for him and others who are being paid for their "service".
Looks like the state jumped to terrible conclusions just to look like they were doing something good for society. Silly doesn't begin to describe the APD and States Attorney's office actions in gathering their so called evidence for these cases. Who else do they have ready to testify? More convicts that got sweet deals?
Boy I am not surprised with APD most of the testimony are based on hear say like the Salinas case which is bull!!!!! Salinas is NOT GUILTY but was Convicted. APD quit building your cases on other gang members and ex girlfriends. and get reliable witnesses.
Are you serious?? You still going on about the Salinas case get over it the man was CONVICTED OF MURDER.
APD is told to quit using gang members and ex girlfriends to build their cases? Just who exactly should they use? Here is a likely scenario -three gang members get together, borrow a girlfriend's car, they go kill someone for no reason, run back to a girlfriend who hides the gun, reports her car stolen and stalls police who are questioning the murder. Years later one of the guys in the car and the ex girlfriend tell the truth of what happened. How can they not charge in that instance. Should they just wait forever until the murder admits to it? Some of the celebration over the acquittal of a murderer seems odd to me. I don't live in Aurora but do you really want to live in a town where people get away with murder? Fine - you can all shoot each other up over something stupid like gang affiliation and the Aurora Police can spend their time helping those who want help and want a decent community. God help you and your ghetto mentality.
LKI
Yeah, The Salinas case is bull!! He didn't do it!!! Torres was acquitted because he didn't do it. In fact, none of them sitting in jail right now committed the murder. The police always get it wrong. In fact, there are not really any murder victims. The police planted them too. Why don't we just let all these innocent guys out so they can go back to their jobs. What? None of them have jobs? Well then how are they able to roll around in those fancy cars with rims and wear all those new clothes? How are they paying for their MANY kids they have with multiple baby mommas? What's that? They're not paying for their kids. They're raising their kids to be gang members like themselves? Well let me be the first to say this - "Their kids did not commit the murder that they will be charged with in the future"
VICTORY!!!!!!!!!! BRING THE REST OF THEM HOME THE SAME WAY!!!! CONGRATULATIONS GEORGE!!!!!!!!!
It does not surprise me that, once again, the Beacon-News comes out with a negative story about the Aurora Police and the State's Attorneys Office. As a former gang prosecutor, I know that these cases are difficult to prosecute based on unreliable witnesses. Does that mean the officers and the prosecutors should back off? Absolutely not! If you have sufficient evidence to indict, you have sufficient cause, if not a duty, to see that justice is attempted. If you do not proceed, then the naysayers, like the Beacon-News, would sit like parrots on a branch squawking about it.
RESPONSE FROM DAVE PARRO:
Tim,
My post was not an attack on the APD. The obvious truth is that the Torres case was weak, and the others better be stronger if prosecutors are going to win them.
Read Friday's editorial in The Beacon News and then tell me if you still think the paper is not supporting the APD in this operation.
The most unfortunate aspect of the acquittal was the hallway grandstanding by defense attorney John Paul Carroll.
How dare he suggest the state's attorney had potical motivation to bring these hoodlums before the grand jury.
I ask you, Mr. Carroll: Is your client truly innocent, or just the beneficiary of what the jury considered to be a lack of evidence?
Mr. Torres was found not guilty; he was not found innocent. And even a big-mouthed Chicago lawyer like Mr. Carroll knows that the difference between the two is not subtle.
Anonymous, who the hell are you to act like you know these guys and their personal business, you lame!! You say they have multiple kids with multiple bm's...and that they don't support them. Then you say they are raising them to be in the gang. Not only is that none of your business but what does that have anything to do with these cases!!
May God Bring all the innocent men home!!! for all of out here who have a loved one in those jail's Pray for them cause "paryer Changes" and gob will bring our loved ones home. SALINAS YOU ARE IN MY PRAYERS EVERY MINUTE OF EVERYDAY YOU WILL BE HOME SOON BABY!!!
Prayers, yes make powerful changes. Let us continue to pray for peace and reconciliation for ALL of Aurora, CITIZENS, APD, City Hall, States Attorneys, all professionals. We are becoming known more and more as a community numb to violence. Why? Because people tend to forget God's message of love and peace. ONE DAY sooner or later, we will all see why he commands this and not just in times of trouble and conflicts.
Pray for Salinas!! Lol. You should really be praying for yourself that someday that you will open your eyes to realize this is not an innocent man. Try praying for peace and praying for the victims families that have to hear details of how their sons were murdered so pray that God gives them strength. It's about time someone is working so hard to put men like these behind bars and I pray that they continue to help make our streets safer. So whether these murders were commited 1 year ago, 7 years ago, 10 years ago don't stop doing your job APD!!! Keep up the good work!!!!
What is important here is that Torres is now home to help raise his kids. None of these guys want their childern to gone a gang if anything they tell thier kids not to do anything like that. Everyone is so quick to judge someone else life. I'm happy Torres is home to show his kids that they have a father that is their for them & to show them the right way in life. CONGRATS TORRES may GOD bless you & your family.
Yea APD great job!! You really worked hard on these cases. NOT!! Howso because now after so many years you have an unreliable informant that decides to make up lies in exchange for leniency!! What a joke!! And for those who sit there and judge any of these men w/o knowing them personally...how do you really know any of them are guilty?? Were you there...what do you know that we don't?? Get of the APD's bandwagon and think for yourself. You are not really being fair to anyone that may be innocent!!
Everyones comment on here is just an opinion and thier OWN thought but there is only one that can judge and it sure aint one of us out here RITE!!! ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE
ACTV gave the Law Enforcements officers, and Prosecutors a free episode to pat themselves on the back. They went on and on about how great their investigation was. I would like ACTV to do a follow-up episode with would include the people wrongfully prosecuted in this matter. A DuPage County jury would have convicted all these cold-case matters. However, in Kane County the people don't always believe what they are told by the authorities.
LKI,
These ex-friends and ex-girlfriends suddenly grow a conscious years later and want to tell the truth! Who are you kidding!!!!! They get caught themselves commiting some illegal crime, and guess what they want a deal in exchange or money for that matter. And human nature being they need to throw someone else under that bus to save themselves. All these Defendants are already convicted in your mind and in many others, you know why, becuase all you needed to hear was gang member!!!!! I am not minimizing what they are, stand for, or how they live.
But, can it be possible that some are truly innocent? YES!!!Now you make that comment that in Aurora you can get away with murder. You'd rather it be like Naperville, where the Prosecuters and Police forget there oath, and rather want to be heros and make up evidence, or buy evidence to convict innocent men? Who needs Justice then? And what do we have courts and jury's for? May God help you and your ghetto mentality!
I think a lot of these trials shouldnt even have made it to trial, these prosecuters have little or no evidence to convict these guys, It seems to me their strictly going off hear say, and not only that its other gang members or rival gang members trying to get a deal on their own personal troubles so they throw out another gang members name, now dont get me wrong I completley disagree with gangs and what their about, but we have a justice system for a reason, even though these guys are or used to be members of a street gang, it doesnt mean you can just charge them with murder with little or no evedince to support it. If thats how our judicial system works then everyone in Aurora better watch out, gang member or not, if all someone has to do is say "oh he did it" and they haul you off to jail for the rest of your life.
Well, they just found DOC guilty. And since they found him guilty, I am sure it will not be too hard to find his son guilty. How can these people sleep at night? I mean having all of these things in their closet? Always having to look over their shoulder? What kind of life is that? I am not judging, I really don't know that lifestyle - it is just a quesiton. I would hate to have to live that way. We all have choices though, and we have to live with the choices with make.
JUDGMENT DAY HAS ARRIVED!!!!!!!!!! MANY THANKS TO THE AURORA POLICE DEPT, THE KANE COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE, AND THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. MY SINCERE GRATITUDE IS BESTOWED UPON ALL OF YOU, WHO, MADE THIS POSSIBLE. ( THANKS ALOT BILL AND MOO )