Edwin Torres-Osorio, Carjacking Resulting in Murder, Puerto Rico 2012

Carjacking Resulting in Murder Rocks Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico – In a shocking turn of events, Edwin Torres-Osorio, aka ‘Bebe,’ has pleaded guilty to carjacking a Toyota Matrix that resulted in the murder of the vehicle’s owner, José E. Gómez-Saladín.

According to court documents, Torres-Osorio, along with three others, Ruben Delgado-Ortiz, Alejandra Berrios-Cotto, and Lenisse Aponte-Aponte, devised a scheme to rob a victim, with Aponte-Aponte not having enough money to pay her rent. The group’s plan was to lure a victim and then have Delgado-Ortiz and Torres-Osorio approach the victim regarding a fictitious debt Aponte-Aponte owed Delgado-Ortiz.

On November 29, 2012, the group made their way to Padial Street, where they encountered a blue Toyota Matrix. Aponte-Aponte gave Delgado-Ortiz and Torres-Osorio the signal to approach the car and execute the plan. Delgado-Ortiz and Torres-Osorio entered the car, and Delgado-Ortiz told Aponte-Aponte she had to give him the money she owed him. The group eventually drove to an ATM machine, where Gómez-Saladín withdrew $400.00 and gave it to Delgado-Ortiz.

The group’s sinister plan unfolded as they drove towards Sabarona and discussed Gómez-Saladín’s fate since he had seen their faces and could identify them. Eventually, the group went to a gas station and purchased gas. Sometime thereafter, Delgado-Ortiz forced Gómez-Saladín to stop driving the car. Delgado-Ortiz then drove the Matrix to an old abandoned prison in Guavate, where the group doused Gómez-Saladín with gasoline and lit him on fire.

Gómez-Saladín began yelling and got up and started to run. He stripped off his pants before tripping on a mound of garbage that was at the scene. Delgado-Ortiz and Berríos-Cotto followed Gómez-Saladin and began hitting him with sticks and tubing they found in the area. They beat Gómez-Saladín until he was barely breathing. The four co-defendants then gathered the sticks and tubing used to beat Gómez-Saladín, placed them in the car, and left the prison in the Matrix.

Torres-Osorio faces a sentence recommendation of 24 to 30 years imprisonment. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for April 7, 2015. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Meconiates and Senior Litigation Counsel Scott Anderson.

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