For more than 25 years, Dateline has brought viewers investigations into some of biggest mysteries in America. Xavier reportedly testified that he was in his truck when the couple got into an argument which saw Sam attack Cathy. ET on Oxygen. Until Sam admitted that he committed the crime at sentencing, (the defendant and his family) all still believed that he was innocent because he had told them he didnt do it and, as family members do, they believed him, Swanson told City News Service. Dateline NBC will investigate Cathy Torrez's . Sam Lopez and his cousin Xavier allegedly met Cathy Torrez in the parking lot of a Baskin Robbins on February 12, 1994. Confess how you picked up her bloody body, how she cried and told you to stop.. It take years to get to the truth. Her mutilated body was found a week later, still in her car, in the parking lot of Placentia-Linda Hospital. She had been stabbed 74 times. Huge bear captured on video casually roaming Arcadia neighborhood, Lakers, LeBron James to play Warriors, Steph Curry in NBA showdown, Permanent supporting housing project opens in South LA. Xavier reportedly testified that he was in his truck when the couple got into an argument during which Sam attacked Cathy. Your email address will not be published. Lopez had suggested several days earlier that the two elope, but friends said Torrez planned to turn him down because she wanted an actual wedding and didnt want to run away. Another of the victims sisters tearfully told the judge that she didnt have the words to explain the impact her siblings death had on the family. Your login session has expired. Police report that her ex-boyfriend Samuel Augustine Lopez was a suspect but he had an alibi from his cousin, Xavier Javier Lopez. Although his statements validated their long-held belief that Lopez murdered Torrez, family members said it was too late to ease years of suffering. Deadly Twist: With Lester Holt, Keith Morrison, Katelynn White, Rachel Winkler. Catherine Torres-Stahl is a judge of the Texas 175th District Court. Prosecutors allege Lopez stabbed Torrez more than 70 times, and he and his cousin stuffed her in the trunk of her car while she was still alive. Xavier Lopez, who is charged with being an accessory after the fact, is set to go to trial sometime in March. Torrez was last seen leaving work and driving toward a Placentia ice cream shop. Photos courtesy of flickr, flickr, and Cathy Torres. Cathy Torrez was a bright 20-year-old Cal State Fullerton honors student who vanished one night in 1994. The couple, along with Cousin Sam, hung out frequently at Cathys work environment, a nearby pharmacy called Save-On. The Promise. Dateline: Secrets Uncovered airs with Cathy Torrez's case on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, at 7 pm ET. After court, Torrez's mother, Mary Bennett, told Eyewitness News that she never lost faith in the system. This was a horrible act that never should have happened, Lopez, 43, added. With Cathys manner of death ruled as a homicide, the search to find the truth about what happened began. Well send you the latest headlines every morning and every weekday afternoon. They believed that he was lying about his whereabouts on the night of the incident, especially as several of Cathys friends and co-workers had already told them that she had planned to meet with Sam after work. BENTONVILLE Cathy Lynn Torres will spend the rest of her life in prison for her role in the death of her 6-year-old son. if(fbPixelFired) { Cathys missing case turned out to be a murder before long. Sign up here for our free newsletters. After 12 years in the air, Cathy Torres is contemplating life on the ground. . The brutal murder of Cathy Krauseneck is the focus of Friday's episode of Dateline at 9 p.m. on Rochester's NBC affiliate (Channel 10). Sean Emery is a crime and public safety reporter for the Register who covers state and federal courts and criminal justice issues. They reconnected in September 1993 at Cathy's . The episode, titled The Promise, re-airs on Oxygen this Tuesday, January 3, 2023, at 7 pm ET. Months into their on-and-off relationship, the 20-year-old went missing. An intensive search ends after her car is found, with her body in the trunk. Trigger Warning: This article contains descriptions of a violent crime, which may be disturbing to some readers. Riverside County Firefighters Stop Forward Progress of Brush Fire in Thermal, Walk to End Genocide Held Sunday In Fairfax District, Asian Couple in Bel Air Terrorized in Home Invasion Robbery, Police Arrest 24 During DUI Checkpoint in Riverside, Riverside Police Arrest 24 People During DUI Checkpoint, Coroner IDs Man Who Jumped or Fell From Freeway Overpass. Cathy's the missing person's case was soon turned into a homicide. Whoops! MALICIOUS DAMAGE. 2. He then disposed of the body with his cousin's help. Dateline: Secrets Uncovered. Breaking news for Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. Huge bear captured on video casually roaming Arcadia neighborhood, Lakers, LeBron James to play Warriors, Steph Curry in NBA showdown, Permanent supporting housing project opens in South LA. So why didn't she come home after work like she was supposed to? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. December 12, 2015 / 11:08 PM / CBS News. The 20-year-old from Placentia, California worked two jobs while studying at California State University Fullerton. All rights reserved. Armando Lopez pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of dissuading a witness from reporting a crime. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). Her campaign was absent and the drivers seat was reclined completely backwards, which was odd because Kathy wasnt very tall. VC Andrews Ruby Says Real-Life Twin Sister Steals the Show as Giselle on Lifetime, The Banno sisters in 'Ruby' (Lifetime photo), 2012-2023, 2paragraphs Productions, LLC. With no physical evidence, the case remained cold for almost 21 years and was only reopened several years later when Xavier was linked to DNA found on the victims clothing. Last year, a time in history I want to mark as 2019 BCthat is, Before COVIDI was at the height of my flight attendant career. In February 1994, California State Fullerton University student Cathy Torrez was only 20 years old when she was brutally stabbed to death. Cathy . An intensive search ended after her car was found . function loadFBPixel() { However, things soon fell apart when the 20-year-old failed to return home as usual on February 12, 1994 after her shift at Sav-On. Both suspects were subsequently arrested in 2007. SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- The brother of a man convicted in the 1994 stabbing death of a Cal State Fullerton student pleaded guilty to helping cover up the crime and was sentenced, as the victim's sisters delivered emotional statements in court. Cathy Torrez's murder case was explored at length in Dateline: Secrets Uncovered's latest episode, titled The Promise, which aired on January 3. Please reload the page and try again. When everything was over, Xavier said he helped Sam dispose of Cathys body. The passenger seat in the car, along with the guard, was supposedly splattered with blood and her body was found in the trunk with no fewer than 74 gashes. S5 - E4. She worked two jobs while attending school, and lived with her mother Mary, stepfather, and three siblings. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 26 years of life imprisonment. He pleaded guilty to dissuading a witness from reporting a crime and was sentenced to a year on probation. At the age of four, she and her family moved to Jonesboro. Advancements in DNA comparison techniques led to the discovery of DNA from Sam Lopezs cousin Xavier Lopez on Torrezs clothes, as well as bloody fingerprints on the car. Cathys missing person case soon turned into a murder case. He then helped Sam dispose of the body. Thirteen people were randomly shot across Washington D.C. in just three weeks back in October 2002. Crime Beat, Cathy was known to be a wonderful person with a bright future ahead of her. YouTuber Moody Unicorn Twin Finally Reveals Her Face | Read. Meanwhile, Xavier Lopez has been sentenced to four years and eight months after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter. In This Dateline Classic, Cathy Torrez Was A Beautiful, Smart And Responsible 20-Year-Old Student. At 20-years-old, Cathy Torrez was described by her friends and family as a smart, beautiful, and . In 2015, more than 21 years after her murder, Sam Lopez was found guilty of first-degree murder. Anyway, things ruined themselves before long when the 20-year-old neglected to return as expected on February 12, 1994, after her Sav-On day. Cathy Torrez was a 20-year-old honors student at Cal State Fullerton and a part-time worker at a Sav-On drugstore in Placentia, California. Armando was shocked and saddened and he and the rest of the family felt very badly about what happened.. He admitted that everything the prosecutors said was true, from the state of his bond with Cathy to how he attacked her when she tried to run away after their fight. Twenty years after stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death and leaving her body in the trunk of a car, Sam Lopez confessed Friday to the brutal slaying. Given how long this series has been on the air, it has an extensive archive of some of the most baffling cases to have transpired in America. Cathy Torrez was a beautiful, smart and responsible 20-year-old student. Toni Fratto & Kody Patten were both 17 when they took Micaela Costanzo out to a grave in the Nevada desert & beat her up, hit her over the head with a shovel. A licensed attorney, Cathy is a former President of the Puerto Rican Bar Association, New York's largest, oldest ethnic bar association. . var fbPixelFired = false; In 1993, Cathy reconnected with Sam Lopez, her high school sweetheart. by Cathy Torres | September 24, 2020. A Postcard from . Your email address will not be published. It was all my fault, Lopez said. Sam and Xavier Lopez were arrested in 2007. Samuel Lopez, last year when it aired on Dateline NBC . Twenty years after Fullerton coed Cathy Torrez was repeatedly stabbed and left to die in the trunk of her car in Placentia, her ex-boyfriend was sentenced Friday to 26 years to life in state prison S2, Ep. Todays sentence may not seem significant in a criminal courtroom, but justices comes in different ways and everything that happens in darkness must come to light, she said. Discretion is advised. New York State Police announced on Thursday, April 20, that a 42-year-old man named Edward Holley has been arrested for second-degree murder in . But with no physical evidence tying Lopez to the car or to Torrezs body, the case went cold. Lopez, however, had an ironclad alibi from his cousin, Xavier Lopez, accounting for his movements the night prosecutors said Torrez was killed. Lopez confessed to the murder in 2015 and claimed that he "took everything away from her." Several friends and co-workers testified that she had planned to meet Lopez after work. Its like shes here. The 6-year-old died of a . Select this result to view Cathy Lynn Torres's phone number, address, and more. Sams brother Armando had been linked to Kathys older sister Tina at that point. 10: Bombshells. Cathy Torrez never came home after work and her family fears the worst. Torrez was killed Feb. 12, 1994 after leaving her job at a local Sav-On store. Her ex-boyfriend later confessed. SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- The ex-boyfriend of a Cal State Fullerton student killed in 1994 was found guilty of first-degree murder after more than two days of deliberations by an Orange County Superior Court jury. >> cathy had so much to live for and was a very happy person, a people's person . Originally Aired On NBC On April 24, 2015. The episode, titled The Promise, re-airs . The killing occurred in an apartment complex in Placentia, Murphy said. In February 1994, California State Fullerton College student Kathy Torres was just 20 years old when she was violently mauled to death. Originally aired on NBC on April 24, 2015. fbq('track', 'ViewContent'); 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Shortly after reconnecting, Sam and Cathy began a tumultuous relationship. Josh Mankiewicz reports. After all, she had already immersed herself in tutoring and mentoring those who belonged to the rougher neighborhoods. Cathy Torrez and Sam Lopez used to be high school sweethearts. The Promise: With Craig Melvin, Kate Snow. cathy torrez had been murdered and stuffed in the trunk of her car. Its way too little and way too late, Wyatt said. Senior Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy told jurors at Samuel Lopezs trial that he killed his on-again, off-again girlfriend on Feb. 12, 1994, after the 20-year-old Cal State Fullerton student rejected his proposal to elope. Confess how you grabbed Cathy, how she screamed at you to stop. Sarika Luthra Bio : Sarika Luthra is a brief video maker, model and online entertainment powerhouse. Samuel Lopez attacked Cathy Torrez with a knife, and after she attempted to flee from the vehicle, Samuel Lopez chased after her and stabbed Torrez repeatedly in the face, head and torso. Several years later, investigations into this slaying were revived, which led to the use of advanced techniques and the discovery of DNA belonging to Sams cousin, Xavier Lopez, on Cathys clothes. The episode titled The promise will re-air this Tuesday, January 3, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. The couple, along with Sams cousin, often spent time together at Cathys place of work, a local drug store called Sav-On. n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; Your email address will not be published. Following her death, an after-school tutoring center was named in her honor. They reconnected in September 1993 at Cathy's sister Tina's wedding to Sam's older brother, Armando Lopez. Sam Lopez received a 26-year prison term for the murder of Cathy Torrez in 1994, after being found guilty of one felony count of murder with the use of a deadly weapon as a sentencing enhancement. Cathy Krauseneck was a young wife and mother. by Eleanor Klibanoff April 13, 2022 10 AM Central. Your login session has expired. Lopez confessed to the murder in 2015, claiming he took everything from her. Authorities believed Cathy was still alive when she was put in the trunk, based on the visible handprint discovered within. From the start, detectives suspected Cathy Torrezs casual boyfriend Sam Lopez, who had a false alibi claiming he was dating his cousin Xavier. The two would often frequently hang out at Cathy's workplace, Sav-On, along with Sam's cousin Xavier Lopez. document.addEventListener("mousemove", function() { loadFBPixel() }); Cathy Torrez, 20, is shown in an undated file image. Cathy Torrez was found stabbed multiple times in the trunk of her car just days after she was first reported missing in February 1994. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. mr fog max pro twist bottom how to use; lewistown sentinel police report 2022; 1951 hudson hornet top speed So why didn't she come home after work like she was supposed to? However, it was the three slashes made on her wrists and neck that ended her life. I had just reached the top of the pay scale at . ET on Oxygen. April 20, 2023, 7:40 PM UTCBy Veronica FultonLast month marked the 20 year anniversary of the murder of 20-year-old SUNY Orange student Megan McDonald. t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, While attending school, she worked two jobs and lived with her mother, Mary, stepfather, and three siblings. Xavier Lopez told investigators he saw the ex-couple arguing and then heard screaming from the car, so he ran over and pulled his cousin off the victim because he thought she was being punched and was sliced accidentally with the knife, Murphy said. An autopsy revealed she was stabbed in the face, head and torso with fatal lacerations to her wrists and neck. When this got combined with Sams stoic expressions upon being notified of his girlfriends demise, their doubts furthered. Sam took to the stand himself during his sentencing hearing and confessed to his girlfriends brutal killing. The episode titled The promisewill re-air this Tuesday, January 3, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. When Cathy Torrez never came home after work, her family feared the worst. Josh Mankiewicz reports. Juan Gustafo Barroso also was charged as an accessory after the fact, but charges against him were dismissed in September 2008. q ANZAC Parade 2022 marching down First Avenue in Sawtell. Torrez' family was present in court and spoke directly to Lopez: "Armando, you hurt Cathy, by your words and your actions to cover up the evil," said Tina Mora, Cathy's sister. police were considering what role her new boyfriend, albert, and his attempted suicide may have played. When Cathy Torrez never comes home after work, her family fears the worst; an intense search ends after her car is found with her body in the trunk; it takes years for the truth to come out.. As part of the plea deal with prosecutors, a felony charge of being an accessory after the fact was dropped. Tina Mora, the victims sister and ex-wife of Armando Lopez, told Hoffer that the defendant, for 23 years, continued to avoid the truth with his brother and cousin., She added, Armando, you harmed Cathy by your words and your actions to cover up for your brother Your culpability in Cathys murder is recognized today.. Select this result to view Kathy M Torres's phone number, address, and more. Originally aired on NBC on April 24, 2015. On the other hand, Xavier pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and received a four-year, eight-month prison sentence. The Dateline Saturday Night Mystery episode The Promise investigates the 1994 disappearance and murder of Cathy Torrez. Although the boyfriend was a prime suspect in the case, due to a lack of solid physical evidence, the case went cold until 2007, when DNA found on the victim connected Sam's cousin Xavier Lopez to the murder. However, the murderer was the victim here, and this case \r\rDateline 20/20 Cathy Torrez Left For Dead Dateline 20/20 Cathy Torrez Left For Dead Dateline 20/20 Cathy Torrez Left For Dead. All the while, detectives believed Cathy Torrez was here and there beau Sam Lopez, who had a false justification and guarantee that he was with his cousin, Xavier. Police determined that Cathy was allegedly still alive when she was pushed into the trunk, according to a visible handprint found inside. The show, however, was different from his previous national TV appearances on Dateline NBC and other crime tabloids episodes that detailed homicide cases on which he was the lead detective. The verdict was reached Tuesday, as family members of Cathy Torrez got emotional in the back of the courtroom.