A Benton County man was found guilty of murdering his 6-year-old son in November 2015. Many people, including five of the man’s other children and step-children, believe this was justice well-served. The death of the 6-year-old stemmed from brutal acts of sodomy including a stick, which eventually led to sepsis from internal injuries. The man’s wife is scheduled also for a future trial facing capital murder charges.
From the other children’s testimony, it appears that both physical and sexual abuse had been the norm in their household. Two of the brothers, now serving time in jail themselves, testified that they were made to physically fight each other. One said that he was forced to stay awake for days and was hit over the head with a piece of wood.
Nearly all of the siblings helped push the case to a guilty verdict with accusations of sexual and physical assault they experienced. They were forced to perform sexual acts on one another and raped with physical objects. Previous allegations of rape with a stick had been made by one of the girls when she was 4 years old — now 17 — but no charges were ever filed because of a lack of physical evidence.
It took a 12-person jury only three hours to return a guilty verdict for this man. In addition to the capital murder conviction, he was found guilty of first-degree battery. For the first-degree charge, the jury recommended 20 years in prison. The capital murder charge carries the death sentence or life in prison.
It appears as if justice was served in this case based on the testimony from the children who have suffered years of abuse. However, we know that sometimes there is more than one side to any story, and that is why it is so imperative in cases like this that all of the details are uncovered and understood. We are fortunate in today’s society; we have many tools for uncovering the truth.
If someone has been charged with a violent crime, it is imperative that he or she secures a criminal attorney as quickly as possible, who can work on gathering all of the necessary details for putting together a good defense.
Source: 5News, “Prosecutor: Torres Death Sentence Is Justice For Isaiah & Other Victims,” Zuzanna Sitek, Nov. 15, 2016