Torres was allegedly beaten and then drowned by Houston police. The judge sentenced them to one year of probation and fined them each $1. The squads success came from how connected they were to these neighborhoods. The people would open their hearts towards us because we were able to communicate with them, Mosqueda says in the podcast. Witnesses on the other side of the bayou couldnt make out what was happening in the darkness, but they heard a scuffle, then a splash. The three former officers, Terry W. Denson, 29 years old, Joseph J. Janish, 25 and Stephen Orlando, 24, were found guilty in Judge Sterling's court last year of responsibility for the death by drowning of Joe Campos Torres, 23, a laborer. Instead, the officers returned to The Hole, where they continued to beat Torres. Carlos Calbillo sits on railing near Buffalo Bayou near Commerce Street, the area where his friend Joe Campos Torres was killed by police in 1977. Police attempts to break up the crowd were met with waves of retaliation by the attendees. Torres, a 23-year-old Mexican American and Vietnam War veteran, drowned . Houston makes national news all the time. Robert Bennett, attorney for Mr. Denson, who had been specifically charged with pushing Mr. Torres into the water, said that he would argue against a prison sentence for his client. Terry W. Denson and Stephen Orlando two of the arresting officers were charged with murder following the discovery of Torres' body. The two officers convicted in the Torres' case are expected to be sentenced within a few days. Hernandez, Raymond Gonzalez, and Jose Selvera Jr. On top of their translating work in the field, the squad was also tasked with investigating 52 cases that experienced detectives on the force hadnt been able to crack. Reporters interview Harris County District Attorney Carol Vance, Divers search the depths of Buffalo Bayou for Torres' wallet, Protests outside the Harris County Courthouse. [Victim's mother Margaret TORRES - feels happy because she wanted justice and doesn't want this to happen again.] The three foriner officers, Terry W. Denson, 27 years old, Stephen Orlando, 22, and Joseph J. Janish, 24, were convicted after a twoweek trial on two counts of violating the civil rights of. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. A desk sergeant ordered the six officers to take Torres to Ben Taub General Hospital for medical treatment. local news and culture, Olivia Flores Alvarez In the case of the burglary suspect, Garcia pointed out that a 14-year-old witness had disputed the officer's claim that the suspect had lunged at the officer. Earlier this month, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the appeal and ordered Judge Sterling to impose prison terms. Houston police officers administer first aid to Officer Tommy A. Britt, injured by a car that broke through a police line at Irvington and Fulton during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. Carlos Calbillo sat on railing next to Buffalo Bayou near Commerce Street Tuesday. If you are associated with a college or university, you may ask your library if they would like to become a sponsor, which would give students and faculty at your institution the ability to view items from our collection. The three foriner officers, Terry W. Denson, 27 years old, Stephen Orlando, 22, and Joseph J. Janish, 24, were convicted after a twoweek trial on two counts of violating the civil rights of the prisoner, Joe Campos Torres, a 23-yearold laborer whose body was found floating in Bffalo Bayou two days after the beating. As the story goes, the 23-year-old was beaten so severely that authorities refused to accept him into the City Jail. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. In 1977 Joe Campos Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. They were, however, later convicted of civil rights violations and served nine months in prison. By the time Torres arrived at the jail, authorities refused to book him due to the extent of his injuries. Terry Denson, 27; Stephen Orlando, 22, and Joseph J. Janish, 22 -- said they do not plan to appeal the . Poe served as a chief felony prosecutor for eight years before being appointed a state district judge in 1981. The summer of 1979, detective sergeant Jim Montero floated an idea past HPD chief Harry Caldwell: if he got permission to recruit a small group of Spanish-speaking patrol officers, he could train them to serve as translators in the field, helping the department to close the growing number of unsolved crimes in Houstons barrios. Its possible.. There, the officers beat Torres, bruising and bloodying him to the point that when they finally drove him to the city jail, officials there wouldnt process him, telling the officers to take him to a nearby hospital. The Houston Police Department first arrested Phillips's replacement, a Security Guard Services, Inc. employee named Robert Taylor. That sort of exchange previously would have been unimaginable. Chief Bond introduces possible disciplinary action against the offending officers through the civil service law, KPRC reporter Don Shelby speculates on the possibility of a second assault on Torres in between the time when officers brought him to the jail and when he ended up in the bayou. 'I am the chief of police, but I am a son of Houston, and what people need to understand is if you cannot see and feel 44 years of pain and suffering of this family, you're not human,' Finner said. Carless Elliott, the only rookie cop at the scene that night, later recalled in court the words of one of his fellow officers, the last words Torres must have heard before his body plunged into those dark waters: Lets see if this wetback can swim.. HOUSTON, Feb. 8 Three former Houston police officers were found guilty in Federal District Court here today of beating a MeicanAmerican prisoner last May and then pushing him into a downtown bayou, where he drowned. According to the Houston Police Department, officers spotted a black Honda Accord that was reported stolen out of College Station at about 5:10 p.m. near Fairbanks North Houston and West Little York. Judge Sterling has been criticized recently by some members of a Federal grand jury here that handed up antiracketeering indictments against two oilbrokering firms. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Cat Cardenas is a writer focused on culture, entertainment, and the states Latino community. The Justice Department brought civil rights charges against the three after Mr. Denson and Mr. Orlando were acquitted of murder charges in state court. Instead of being taken to jail, police took Campos Torres to "The Hole," an isolated area behind a warehouse along Buffalo Bayou where Houston Police Department officers could write reports, question suspects and sleep. It's been 40 years since 23-year-old Vietnam War veteran Joe Campos Torres' body was found washed up on the banks of the Buffalo Bayou. The city was quickly growing into the murder capital of the United States as a slew of unsolved killings in Houstons barrios piled up. By Gloria Rubac posted on April 12, 2022. Police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. On an overcast evening in early May 1977, 23-year-old Vietnam War veteran Jose Campos Torres was in handcuffs for drunk and disorderly conduct at a cantina in Houstons East End. But Glenn L. Brinkmeyer, 25, one of those given immunity and an officer in whose wedding Denson had served as a groomsman, testified that Denson had pushed Torres. While Bond says that he "cannot create a police review board," the Houston Police Department established the Internal Affairs Division soon after Torres' death to investigate police misconduct. Decades before the recent police violence in Memphis, a brutally beaten Latino man was tossed by officers into a Houston bayou and drowned. Houston. His body was found on May 8Mother's Day. The Torres case prompted the Houston Police Department to create its Internal Affairs Division in 1977. Any editing, reproduction, publication, rebroadcast, public showing or public display may be prohibited by copyright laws. On May 8, Mr. Torres's body was found floating in the bayou. Host Alonzo, a self-proclaimed history nerd, often spent time in history classes in the Rio Grande Valley thumbing through her books trying to find important figures that looked like her. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner apologized to the family of Joe Campos Torres for his death in 1977 in Houston police custody, calling it 'straight-up murder', Torres, a US Army Vietnam veteran, was 23 when he was arrested on May 5, 1977 for disorderly conduct at a bar, and beaten. Report: Houston is the No. Dolph Briscoe, prompted the Department of Justice to seek indictments against the former officers on charges of having violated Mr. Torres's civil rights. And though her mother instilled in her a love for the U.S., Alonzo was also aware that her identity as a Mexican American sometimes made her a target. (Studio) Report on conviction of 3 former Houston policemen accused of violating civil rights of Mex.-American who drowned while in their custody. Consider it our city's version of the Ferguson protests. More than 40 people were arrested during the riots, which became nationwide news and led to the creation of HPD's internal affairs department. In 2010, because HPDs increasingly diverse workforce now includes a higher number of Spanish-speaking officers, the group was disbanded. All the while, she draws parallels to present-day discrimination against Latinos and the ongoing demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice. The girl's parents told the police they went to sleep at about 11 p.m. Saturday, and when . Defense attorney Mike Ramsey and his client, Steven Orlando, follow. One of the counts, involving a violation of Federal civil rights laws in which death results, is a felony, with the maximum sentence life in prison. And to this day, Morales remains skeptical that the Chicano Squad was the answer. Attorneys for the three defendants said they would probably appeal the verdict. And sometimes it's Houston murders. "All those cops, they just got a slap on the wrist, and you know what? Houston police officers during riot at Moody Park. Houston police take man into custody during Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. The US Department of Justice subsequently conducted its own investigation. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. Divers search the murky water of Buffalo Bayou in an unsuccessful attempt to find a wallet belonging to a southeast Houston man allegedly drowned by a policeman. They were, however, later convicted of civil rights violations and served nine months in prison. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. and help keep the future of the Houston Press, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, HPD Investigating Victims' Crime Advocate Andy Kahan, A Murder in Montrose: the Paul Broussard Legacy. In just a few short years, relationships between HPD and Houston's Hispanic community had improved to such a degree that Caldwell even commended a local police critic during a LULAC convention, who in turn praised the chief for his efforts. Many segments are silent and would have been voiced over by the anchorperson during a live broadcast. Forty-five year struggle wins a bit of justice. The case and its verdict outraged the local Mexican American community, sparking protests outside the Harris County Courthouse and police headquarters. Their convictions were for criminally negligent homicide, a first-degree misdemeanor. Torres' nephew, Richard Molina, said the family is in communication with the city to find a proper way to memorialize his uncle. Prince Harry 'hated woke nonsense' and 'made jokes we are no longer allowed to make' before meeting Meghan, Charles felt he had to act as king rather than as a father: REBECCA ENGLISH reveals why Charles backed moves Don't just stick to the Malbec! Five of the officers were charged in the death, with two convicted of negligent homicide, and the other three convicted of violating Torres' civil rights. Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Longtime Virginia men's basketball coach Terry Holland has died, the school announced Monday. A convenience store/drive-in grocery at 3814 Fulton is vandalized by riotersin the 1978 Moody Park riots. The Torres case prompted the Houston Police Department to create its Internal Affairs Division in 1977. "There has never been anything to mark (Torres' death) in a positive way," Torres' nephew Richard Molina, told the Houston Chronicle in 2014. His body would end up in the Buffalo Bayou, where it was found three days later. The violence May 7 left five police officers and two newsmen injured, and several stores in the area burned or looted. The case became a national symbol of police brutality against Hispanics in the Southwest. We want to let the people know what kind of person he was and what he meant to my family,' Molina said. This connection to Torres and to the officers on the Chicano Squad is what allows Alonzo to shine as a host. The three former officers, Terry W. Denson, 29 years old, Joseph J. Janish, 25 and Stephen Orlando, 24, were found guilty in Judge Sterling's court last year of responsibility for the death by. A gutted variety store at a shopping center in the 3100 block of Fulton. Houston firemen fight blaze which was reportedly set by rioters in the 4400 block of Fulton. Rishi Sunak is urgently reviewing his private exchanges with Matt Hancock after bombshell leak of ex-Health 'Drinks cold in fridge at DH!' As we said at the time: what difference is it going to make to have the cops speaking Spanish when they brutalize and murder someone? he asks on the podcast. They had only ninety days to solve them. Members of Houstons Latino community described the light sentences as a slap in the face. On the first anniversary of Torress death, protests reached a fever pitch during a Cinco de Mayo celebration at Moody Park. Campos Torres was beaten by six officers for hours before they took him to the city jail. His drowned body was found three days later on May 8, 1977 - exactly 40 years ago today. The case, in which the officers could have received sentences of life in prison, has been the focus of many charges of police brutality against Hispanic citizens. Each to Serve Extra Day for Roles in Suspect's Death Judge Assailed as Too Lenient. Buffalo Bayou near Commerce St. Tuesday May 6, 2014. We can only hope that the next congressional delegation brings along Sessions so that he, too, can learn the story of Joe Campos Torres and Chief Caldwell. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. The officers on trial, Stephen Orlando, 21 years old, and Terry Denson . Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. "'You're not going to take him and do what you did to Joe Campos Torres.". Officer Terry Denson came up with the idea: "Let's see if the wetback can swim," he said. By the following morning, 28 demonstrators had been taken into custody. Last month, members of Congress visited our city to learn about HPD's successful community programs. Of the six, initially only officers Terry Denson and Steven Orlando were charged with murder. Two days later, his body was found badly beaten floating in Buffalo Bayou. Houston police take man into custody during Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. 1977 - Joe Campos Torres -- his death triggered an outcry from the Mexican-American community about police brutality in Houston. View Terry Denson results in Texas (TX) including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. The apology to Torres' family was the first by any city official, and Finner promised to work with the family to build a monument in Torres' name. After learning of Mr. Torres's death, Carless Elliott, a 20yearold rookie police officer who witnessed the incident, reported what he had seen to his superiors. Updated: June 20, 2015. In the wake of Torres's death, frustrated residents of Houston's barrios staged rallies and protests around the city. 1977, Houston Police officer Terry Denson yelled, "Let's see if this wetback can swim!" Denson, along with five other white policemen (Louis Kinney, Glen Brinkmeyer, Joseph Janish, Stephen Orlando, and Carless Elliot) had arrested Torres after responding to a complaint of a drunken Of the six, initially only officers Terry Denson and Steven Orlando were charged with murder. But the Chicano Squad moved mountains with the little resources they had. Articles about the drowning of Joe Campos Torres appeared in the Houston Chronicle on May 15, 1977. Bring on the Shiplap? You've got five officers sworn to protect, five, sworn to protect and serve and murdered an active military soldier,'. The judge gave the three suspended sentences of 10 years, plus five years probation, on the felony charge that resulted from Mr. Torres's death. New Higher Salaries! Once there, officials refused to book him because of the extent of his injuries, and ordered that he be admitted to a hospital. Looters struck the store during a riot that began at Moody Park. Attorneys for the three defendants pointed out that the new sentences, because they exceed one year, would render the former officers eligible for parole, which would not be the case had their sentences remained at precisely one year. 3 EXPOLICE OFFICERS CONVICTED IN HOUSTON, https://www.nytimes.com/1978/02/09/archives/3-expolice-officers-convicted-in-houston-found-guilty-in-civil.html. Aided by the research of producer and Austin-based journalist Eva Ruth Moravec, Alonzo guides listeners through interviews with Chicano activists, former police officers, scholars, and Torress family members. Dairy Queen Gets an Updated Jingle, Courtesy of Josh Abbott, Check Out Kilgores Treasure Trove of Vintage Cameras, Radios, and TVs, How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire. After their conviction in March of last year, Judge Sterling sentenced the three former officers, all of whom were dismissed by the Houston Police Department within hours of the discovery of Mr. Torres's body, to a year in prison on the misdemeanor charge. "No parade, no day of remembrance. Two days after Torres was arrested, his mangled body was found floating in Buffalo Bayou. But as Alonzo points out: the squads role wasnt to patrol these neighborhoods, it was to solve the crimes that were plaguing them. According to the podcast, between 1950, when the police department hired its first Hispanic officer, and 1970, HPD had hired fewer than 20 Hispanic officers. October 18, 2016 The sergeant said he told the officers to take the prisoner to a nearby hospital; instead, they took Mr. Torres back to the 16foot embankment overlooking Buffalo Bayou near downtown Housotn, where they had beaten him. Federal prosecutors termed the verdict a compromise, noting that the defendants were not found guilty of additional charges that they had conspired to obstruct justice by withholding information about the incident from Federal investigators. Protesters met at Commerce and San Jacinto near the site where the body of Joe Campos Torres was found May 8. Im not an immigration officer. ,The allwhite jury of seven men and five women was in its second day of deliberations after a trial conducted by Judge Ross N. Sterling, and had deliberated for a total of seven hours before reaching the verdict. Houston Police Chief B. G. "Pappy" Bond holds a press conference in his office. In 1977, Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. Dozens were arrested and 15 were injured as protesters clashed with police in one of the citys most notorious riots. For years, [HPD] operated with impunity, he says. 09/13/1977 - Fired HPD officer Terry Denson, right, arrives for court at the Criminal Justice Center at Sam Houston State University where his trial for the May 6 murder of Joe Campos . Past charges of brutality against Houston Police Department noted. Bond resigned months later after only serving a year. Burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. The other count, a misdemeanor violation of Mr. Torres's rights by intimidation, carries a maximum punishment of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Although members of the Houston police force have previously been accused of brutality against prisoners, the Torres case is the first such incident to be brought to trial. While speakers from the La Raza Unida party, the Texas Farmworkers Union, the Barrios Unidos en Defensa and the Torres family addressed the crowd, the father of the dead man, Joe Torres Sr., watched with his wife Margaret. Though he served in that role for less than three years, Caldwell instituted key reforms that still exist today, such as HPD's first internal affairs department, HPD's first formal manual and the first liaisons to minority communities. 6:00AM, Kinetic Celebrates Womens History Month with a World Premiere, What Your Favorite Mainline Final Fantasy Game Says About You. Because the felony and misdemeanor sentences are concurrent, the three will probably serve less than a year in prison. An all-white jury found them guilty of negligent homicidea misdemeanorand sentenced the officers to a year's probation and a $1 fine. Family members and friends of his are working to win approval of historical markers at Moody Park to commemorate Torres' death and the community's reaction. On the one-year anniversary of Torres' death, the simmering social unrest erupted into riots. Surviving members of Torres' family also spoke on Sunday. The Cavaliers said . Sometimes it's our sports teams, sometimes it's the happenings over at NASA, a breakthrough at the Medical Center or our atrocious weather that's in the headlines. Adrian Garcia, former HPD officer and current Harris County commissioner, said some of his friends stopped talking to him when he joined the force, calling him a sellout. View the profiles of people named Terry Denson. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. The convicted former officers are Terry W. Denson, 27, and Stephen Orlando, 22. Sentencing offenders to perform humiliating tasks like shoveling manure, he became known as the "King of Shame." Torres subsequently drowned. For Alonzo, the Chicano Squad is a reminder that reform is possible, even if its difficult to sustain. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanor . | Abe Weiner, owner of the Leonard's Department Store in the same shopping center which suffered looting and smoke damage, said the store burned over an hour before firemen responded to the call for help. It is the headquarters for the Texas prison system. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. Houston firemen put out fire of burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. October 7, 1977 Two former Houston policemen on trial for beating and drowning a Mexican-American prisoner in their custody last May were convicted by a jury today of misdemeanor charges that. You may visit the Television News Archive on the Vanderbilt campus to view on-site from the Archive's collection. In 1978, the Cinco de Mayo celebrations at Moody Park erupted into riots. An all-white jury found them guilty of negligent homicidea misdemeanorand sentenced the officers. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. About 150 protesters met at Commerce and San Jacinto on May 21, 1977 near the site where the body of Joe Campos Torres was found just weeks before. Today, Campos Torres' family is working to erect an official marker to commemorate his death and the riots. Jose "Joe" Campos Torres, shown in a photo held by his sister Janie Torres in 1998, was arrested after a 1977 Cinco de Mayo disturbance. There, they brutally beat him for several hours. Two of their fellow officers were given immunity from prosecution in return for their testimony in state court against the pair; one other officer faces related misdemeanor charges, and one, a rookie who reported the incident to superiors, remains on the 2,900-member Houston police force. Given the departments broken relationship with the Latino community, making headway on the cases would be extremely difficult, especially because of the officer recruitment problem. By the time Torres arrived at the jail, authorities refused to book him due to the extent of his injuries. In interviews with members of the Chicano Squad, the podcast shines a light on its predicament. On May 5, 1977, Campos Torres, was arrested at a bar for disorderly conduct. City officials vowed to memorialize Torres in some way, The worst thing for her, she said was that, 'No matter how many apologies we get, it can never change the fact because Joe, at the end, never got justice.'. "Let's see if the wetback can swim." With those words, Officer. The unidentified suspect was suspected of throwing a brick during the riot. This edited footage from Houston's KPRC-TV follows the grand jury investigation into the death of Jos Campos Torres, a 23-year-old Mexican American and Vietnam War veteran. CBS Evening News for Wednesday, Feb 08, 1978 Slowly, the Chicano Squad earned back the trust that HPD had lost. A Houston Chronicle reporter and photographer joined the Northeastern Trail Riders Association to document the highlights and challenges of life on the trail during the group's 108-mile journey to the 2023 Houston Letter from the editor: Introducing our exclusive new newsletter, Black trail riders head to Houston rodeo parade after grueling, joyful 6-day journey. (Two activists, Travis Morales and Mara Youngdahl, were later fined a total of $9,000 on misdemeanor riot charges.). Rioters looted and set fire to a shopping center, and fifteen people were injured including five police officers and two news personnel. Officers Terry Denson (left) and Stephen Orlando (right) were the only two officers convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, in the death of Torres, and each was fined $1 and given probation. Facebook gives people the power to. You were a victim [of a crime], so Im going to treat you as a victim. Following another beating, officers pushed Torres off a raised platform into Buffalo Bayou. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. The officers then took Torres to the city jail, who refused to process him due to his injuries. According to sworn testimony, the officers then spreadeagled the prisoner against a patrol car, and Mr. Denson, after some discussion of what to do with the prisoner, said, Let's see if this wetback can swim. The prosecutors contended that Mr. Denson then pushed Mr. Torres into the bayou. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. At the time, the department was enmeshed in a series of police brutality scandals covered by Texas Monthly in an article titled, " New Gang In Town: What Happens When Cops Run Wild?". Calbillo is one of several people working to get a historical marker for Torres. Ruben Bonilla, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, termed the sentences a shocking, obnoxious misuse of Federal power and urged that Judge Sterling be impeached. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. Two of the officers who had beaten Torres, Terry W. Denson and Stephen. The Government appealed, arguing that probation was not permissible in cases where the possible penalty was life in prison, as it is in Federal civil rights cases in which the victim has died. We can change these systems. All of the jurors were white, none was Mexican-American and five either worked for law enforcement agencies or had relatives who did. Instead of being transferred to Ben Taub Hospital for treatment, Torres was taken to a site along Buffalo Bayou near Commerce, where he either jumped or was pushed into the bayou. Brinkmeyer said Denson previously had boasted throwing a wino down a ravine and had beaten other hand-cuffed prisoners. Torres' death and the light punishment the officers involved received would spark the infamous Moody Park riot one year later. Him to the extent of his injuries to be sentenced within a few.... Into the murder capital of the jurors were white, none was Mexican-American and five either for... In Buffalo Bayou near Commerce Street Tuesday news for Wednesday, Feb 08, 1978 Slowly, terry denson houston police! Are expected to be sentenced within a few days their custody Justice subsequently conducted its own investigation homicide! 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Are expected to be sentenced within a few days became a national symbol of police brutality in.... For hours before they took him to the extent of his injuries benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers or... Television news Archive on the Chicano Squad earned back the terry denson houston police that HPD had lost the area or... City 's version of the citys most notorious riots were a victim homicide, a brutally beaten Latino man tossed... They brutally beat him digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems ; we continuing! He was and what he meant to my family, ' Molina said culture, entertainment, and Terry.. With the little resources they had family is working to erect an official marker to commemorate death! Torres. `` its own investigation consider it our city 's version of the were!

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