SAN ANTONIO – A jury returned a not guilty verdict late Monday in the capital murder trial of a man accused of taking part in a deadly robbery and shooting near a South Side bus stop.
Eduardo Torres was accused along with his brother of killing Nathan Valdez, 21, in Oct. 2016.
Eduardo Torres’ brother, Leonard Torres, took a plea deal in this case and agreed to testify against Eduardo.
He told the jury that they targeted Valdez after seeing him counting his money while leaving a convenience store.
During testimony, Leonard Torres said he was the one who shot Valdez but his brother egged him on and handed him the gun.
Leonard Torres said that all he took from Valdez was some marijuana and $50, which he claimed to have split with his brother.
During interrogation videos, Eduardo Torres denied having anything to do with Valdez’s murder but eventually said he was driving when his brother attacked Valdez.
Eduardo Torres faced an automatic life sentence had he been found guilty.
Despite the not guilty verdict Eduardo Torres still has another case to worry about. He and his brother were charged with aggravated robbery for an incident that took place two weeks after Valdez was killed. A court date for that has not been scheduled yet.
Leonard Torres is expected to be sentenced to 45 years in prison at a later date.