The Murder of Cathy Torrez
For this case, I watched an episode of My Family’s Deadly Secret. It’s season 1 episode 2, titled ‘Who Killed Cathy?’
A 20-year-old college student disappears after leaving work.
Background
Cathy Torrez grew up in Placentia, California. After high school, Cathy decided to attend Cal State Fullerton, and major in sociology. Cathy wanted to become a social worker to help people. While attending school, Cathy worked two jobs, and was living with her mom, Mary, step-father, and 3 siblings.
Cathy was described as a straight A student, and had a passion for music and helping people. Cathy was also very close to her family.
Cathy Torrez
The Disappearance
In September 1993, Cathy’s sister, Tina, married a man named Armando Lopez. Armando’s brother, Sam Lopez, was Cathy’s high school sweetheart, and the two reconnected at the wedding.
They spent the next few months spending time together, and writing letters back and forth. Sam, and his cousin, Xavier Lopez, would often meet Cathy after her late shifts at Sav-On. Both Sam and Xavier had grown up with the Torrez’s, but Xavier was described as very shy and quiet.
On Saturday, February 12, 1994, Cathy called her mom after her shift. Mary said Cathy would often call her, and ask if she needed anything. Mary said she watched some tv and went to bed.
The next morning, Mary noticed that Cathy wasn’t in her bed. It was unusual, and Cathy never mentioned that she’d be going anywhere after work. Mary reached out to Cathy’s friends, but they hadn’t seen her. Cathy’s family called the Placentia police, but they said Cathy hadn’t been missing for 24 hours yet.
By Monday, Cathy’s family put up missing persons flyers. The police were also looking for Cathy’s missing vehicle, a red 1990 Toyota Corolla.
The Discovery
On February 19, 1994, a patrol officer found Cathy’s missing car in a hospital parking lot.
The front seat was covered in blood, and there was blood on the back bumper. The police opened up the trunk, and found Cathy’s body. She had been stabbed about 74 times.
Inside the car, part of the gear shift had been broken, and one of Cathy’s shoes was on the floorboard. The drivers seat was pushed all the way back, which was odd because Cathy was 4’11.” Cathy’s purse was also missing.
The police were able to determine that Cathy had still been alive when she was placed in the trunk. There was a partial handprint inside the trunk. There was also arterial spray.
Cathy’s cause of death was ruled as exsanguination of the body due to the stab wounds. It was a very violent death, and it was most likely that Cathy knew her killer.
The Boyfriend
The police learned from Cathy’s family that she had reconnected with Sam Lopez. They had been dating again for about 5 months, but Cathy’s family learned that Sam wanted to run away and elope with Cathy. Cathy had said no.
The police interviewed Sam. In his interview, Sam minimized his relationship with Cathy, and said they would only see each other occasionally.
Sam was asked about his alibi from the night Cathy was killed. Sam said he had been in Corona with his friend and cousin, Xavier. Sam said they were helping a friend move, and then he was with Xavier that night.
During his interview, Sam mentioned one of Cathy’s ex-boyfriends. He said that this ex had attempted to commit suicide just 5 days before Cathy was killed. He survived, and had been recovering in the hospital.
Sam said he thought that the ex or someone from his family could be involved. The ex and his family were looked into, but they were all ruled out. The family had nothing but nice things to say about Cathy, and helped search for her.
The police also interviewed Xavier. The police collected fingerprints and DNA samples from both him and Sam. They were released as the police had nothing to hold them on.
A Cold Case
The police brought Cathy’s car in to be forensically examined. Fingerprints were found on the lip of the trunk, and on the back panel. There were no matches found in the database.
A $35,000 reward was put out for any information on Cathy’s case.
After about a year of investigating, Cathy’s case went cold. It was reopened in April 1997. Mary had contacted Detective Daron Wyatt of the Placentia Police Department. She learned that the Orange County Sheriff’s Office had received a grant to work on cold cases. Cathy’s case was mentioned, and soon the case was reopened.
Detective Wyatt learned that Xavier’s DNA had never been taken to the crime lab.
In June 1997, the police were finally given the results they were looking for. Xavier Lopez’s DNA was found on the back panel of the car, and his fingerprints were found on the lip of the trunk.
Xavier was questioned by the police. He told them that he never had been in Cathy’s car, and had never helped her fix her car, or carry in groceries. There was no real reason why his fingerprints should’ve been found inside and on the car. Xavier told the police that he wanted to see the evidence against him, and he distanced himself from knowing her.
In October 1997, Xavier Lopez was charged with murder. Within days of his arrest, the charges were dropped. The district attorney said they had insufficient evidence.
Justice For Cathy
In 2006, the police set up 24 hour surveillance on Xavier and Sam’s homes. The police found it odd that Xavier would spent many nights at his cousin’s house. By this time, Sam was married and had a child.
While the police were watching the Lopez’s, Mary and Cathy’s sister, Tina, had found some letters from Sam to Cathy in her room. The letters revealed that they didn’t have the best relationship. It suggested that Sam was at least verbally abusive, and probably physically abusive too. Sam wrote that he was so glad things were back to normal, and that sometimes she pushed him over the edge.
Cathy’s socks and clothing were all tested again. In 2007, a criminalist came back with some results. Xavier’s DNA was found on Cathy’s sock and on shirt around the armpit area.
At Sam’s trial in 2015, the prosecution said that Sam was angry that Cathy said no to running away to elope with him. Sam and Cathy had met up after she finished her shift, and went to a restaurant. They got into a heated argument, and Sam began punching and stabbing Cathy. Xavier was waiting nearby, and helped Sam move Cathy to the trunk of the car. They then drove to the hospital, where Cathy and her car were later found.
Sam Lopez was convicted of first degree murder. At his sentencing, he admitted to murdering Cathy, saying that it was all his fault. He was sentenced to 26 years to life in prison.
Sam Lopez
Xavier Lopez pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and being an accessory after the fact. He was sentenced to 4 years and 8 months.
Newspaper clipping with information about Cathy’s case
Armando Lopez also admitted to helping his brother and cousin. He pled guilty to dissuading a witness from reporting a crime. He was sentenced to a year of probation.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Cathy’s family had to wait patiently for some many years for justice to be served. They are so strong, and never gave up. Cathy was brutally killed for absolutely no reason. She was excited about reconnecting with Sam, but he showed her his true colors. Sam and Xavier did have a very unusual relationship, and were willing to both take someone’s life, and then cover up their crime. They both deserve to rot in prison.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/cathy-torrez-murder/
https://abc7.com/cathy-torrez-murder-verdict-cal-state-fullerton-student/542235/
