Brandon Andres Bautista Torres was sentenced to life in prison on June 4 for murdering his girlfriend and her daughter in 2019.
According to published reports, the victims were 23-year-old Selina Toyos and Aleena Bermudez, who was celebrating her fifth birthday the day following the murders. Aleena wasn’t Torres’ biological daughter.
Torres called the Glendale Police Department in June 2019 to report that an intruder had shot his girlfriend and daughter. He then took his one-year-old son to his parents’ home. Torres returned to the scene with a “new story,” according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. He informed detectives that he wrestled with the intruder, and bullets were fired before the intruder escaped.
According to court filings, Torres attempted to wipe up the blood and cover the bodies with a bedsheet. His small boy was put into the Department of Child Safety’s care.
When asked why it took him three hours to report the event to police, Torres stated that he dreaded being blamed for the crime.
According to the attorney’s office, Torres has a history of domestic violence, including threatening the victim with a pistol.
Torres pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and manslaughter.
