Teen Accused Of Shooting Friend Released On Bond
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) - The sister of a Deerfield Beach boy who was shot and killed while playing with a teenage friend last month is outraged that the older boy was released on a relatively low bond.
On Thursday night, Jose Torres walked out of jail with his father by his side and said nothing to reporters who followed him out. He's heading home for the first time since he was arrested in mid-October for killing his friend, Anthony Alejandre.
Torres has been locked up on a manslaughter charge since the middle of October when detectives arrested him. A judge granted Torres a bond of $9,100.
But the family of victim Anthony Alejandre is not happy Torres is being released.
Alejandre's sister Esmerelda feels that bond is too low.
"I believe in the system. I believe in justice but this is not justice. Why we let a psycho get out?" Esmerelda told CBS4's Carey Codd.
Torres initially told detectives that Alejandre was playing with the gun and accidentally shot himself in the face. He then reportedly changed his story and admitted to shooting Alejandre and then placing the gun in the boy's hand.
Anthony's sister, Esmaralda Alejandre, said they never thought Torres could do something like this.
"We never, never thought he was going to be like that, that he was going to be like that – never," said Alejandre. "It was very hard. I witnessed everything. I still have images of him on the floor."
She also can remember everything that happened that night in vivid detail.
"It was very hard, I witnessed everything," Esmerelda said. "I still have the image of him on the floor...almost dead."
In a surprise move on Wednesday, a judge set bond for 17-year old Jose Torres at a little over nine thousand dollars. The prosecutor had requested a bond of $250 thousand.
"For me, it's not fair. It's not fair to have bond so low," said Alejandre.
After 10 percent of the bond amount ($9,100) was paid to the court, Torres was outfitted with a GPS monitor before his release. He is also forbidden to possess any kind of weapon and must have no contact with the victim's family.
"It's not easy for me, it's not easy for our family. He was doing better in school. He had so many plans. And he just took everything away from us, from our family," said Alejandre.
Detectives originally charged Torres with attempted manslaughter as a juvenile, but after Alejandre's death: his case was been moved to adult court where he'll face a number of charges including manslaughter with a firearm, tampering with physical evidence, and five counts of possession of a firearm by a minor.
Detectives said Torres had an extensive collection of weapons hidden in a suitcase under his bed. It included guns, swords, knives and brass knuckles.
Torres' parents say they knew nothing of the arsenal and Alejandre's family say they too were in the dark.
The Torres family said they will be moving away from the neighborhood where the Alejandre's lived.
