A former Marine about to face trial on rape, robbery and abduction charges in Arlington County threatened to harm witnesses and victims to keep them from testifying, prosecutors said in court Thursday.
Jorge “George” Torrez is accused of robbing and trying to abduct one woman and kidnapping and raping another in separate incidents in February. His trial is scheduled for next week. He has also reportedly been linked through DNA to the 2005 killings for two young girls near Chicago, but has not been charged in that case.
Arlington County Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Kendrick ruled that prosecutors can use Torrez’s statements —made to a jailhouse informant — about intimidating the witnesses. Torrez’s attorneys had argued that the statements were made under illegal interrogation by the informant.
Kendrick also ruled Thursday that prosecutors can present as evidence a stun gun found in Torrez’s vehicle, even though authorities don’t allege that the device was used in the assaults.
