Antonio Andres Torres Sentenced to Death in 2007 SC Double Murder

[Jeff1857]

Jury selection to begin in death-penalty case


Jury selection is set to begin in the death-penalty trial of a 27-year-old man accused of beating a Spartanburg County couple to death with a hammer last year.

Andres "Tony" Torres faces charges of murder, armed robbery, burglary, attempting to burn and 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct.

He is accused of attacking 61-year-old Charles Ray Emery and 59-year-old Mary Ann Emery with a hammer as they slept in their Drayton home in May 2007. Torres is also accused of trying to burn down their house by dousing it with gasoline and turning on the oven before stealing the couple's van, and of raping Mary Ann Emery before killing the couple.

The Herald-Journal of Spartanburg reports that jury selection will begin Monday.

(source: Associated Press)

[JeffB]

Wow, once again an incredibly heinous series of acts.  Well, as long as there is strong evidence - this POS is headed directly to death row. 

[Jeff1857]

SPARTANBURG, S.C. --A 27-year-old man has been found guilty of beating a Spartanburg County couple to death last year with a hammer and trying to burn down their home.

The Herald-Journal of Spartanburg reported that Antonio Andres Torres was convicted Sunday of murder, first-degree criminal sexual conduct, attempting to burn, armed robbery and burglary.

The sentencing phase is to begin Tuesday. Torres could receive the death penalty.

Prosecutors said Torres attacked 61-year-old Charles Ray Emery and 59-year-old Mary Ann Emery with a hammer as they slept in their Drayton home in May 2007. Prosecutors said Torres also raped her before killing the couple, and tried to burn their house by dousing it with gasoline and turning on the oven before stealing their van.

(Source: The State)

[Michael]

In  my opinion the DP is the only acceptable punishment for him.

Best

Michael

[Jeff1857]

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Tony Torres has been sentenced to death in the beating death of a Spartanburg couple.

It took jurors almost two hours to decide the penalty Torres would face. On Sunday, a jury convicted Tony Torres of beating Ray and Ann Emery to death with a hammer last May.

The jurors began deliberating just before noon Thursday after Torres spoke to the jury during the death penalty phase of the trial.

"I stand in this courtroom and I have to live every day the rest of my life knowing that I've been found guilty of killing my best friend's parents," Torres said, as he cried. "Although I may be hated, I just want to ask people to forgive me."

Torres ripped a sheet of paper that was placed in front of him to read.

"What's in front of me, I don't want to read that. I want to tell you something from my heart, because it hurts," he told the jury. "I didn't ask to be born and not going to ask to die. As I stand up here, it's like standing at the gates asking God to let me in."

Just minutes before Torres spoke, Seventh Circuit Solicitor Trey Gowdy had prompted several jurors to reach for tissues, as he showed them graphic pictures of the Emerys' bodies during his closing arguments and talked about their life together.

"They lived together, they loved together and they died together," Gowdy told the jury.

"He's been shown mercy," Gowdy said, referring to Torres' 40 prior convictions, which range from car break-ins to burglaries.
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The jury did an awesome job in this one!!!

(Source FoxCarolina.com)