Once there, officials refused to book him because of the extent of his injuries, and ordered that he be admitted to a hospital. | They're dead, Michael C. Ramsey, one of the defense lawyers, said of the Justice Department's appeal effort, which he termed frivolous. Mr. Ramsey said he considered today's sentences a victory for the additional reason that the three defendants would no longer have to face the five years probation originally imposed by the Judge. 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. David Courtney, a.k.a. Truth about Covid care home testing row: Timeline lays bare what was said, by who and when. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. Houston Police lineup in riot gearin the 1978 Moody Park riots.. Houston Police in riot gearin the 1978 Moody Park riots.. Houston police make arrests in the 1978 Moody Park riots. With those words, Officer Terry Denson tossed Joe Campos Torres into Buffalo Bayou. Two days later, his body was found badly beaten floating in Buffalo Bayou. His body was found by a boater three days later. 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. Of the six, initially only officers Terry Denson and Steven Orlando were charged with murder. The family was surrounded by hundreds of supporters and friends as . When you look at the records of some of their arrests, youll find lacerated livers, fractured skulls, broken hands. And as Mosqueda recalls, many non-Latino officers were happy to throw around the word wetbackthe same pejorative hurled at Torres before his death. 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. Torres was allegedly beaten and then drowned by Houston police. Campos Torres was beaten by six officers for hours before they took him to the city jail. Who Said It: Legendary Houston Comedian Bill Hicks or New El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks? After the Huntsville verdict was reached last fall, pressure from Texas political leaders, including Gov. An all-white jury found them guilty of negligent homicidea misdemeanorand sentenced the officers. 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. 1 of 2. The state granted immunity for two others, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, in exchange for their testimony. His death and the light punishment the officers received would spark the infamous Moody Park Riot one year later. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. The Justice Department brought civil rights charges against the three after Mr. Denson and Mr. Orlando were acquitted of murder charges in state court. October 18, 2016 His body would end up in the Buffalo Bayou, where it was found three days later. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. How the Houston Zoo moved its flock of flamingos to a new home, Why the Texans should take Bijan Robinson with the No. And once the word got out, they trusted us.. 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. A desk sergeant ordered the six officers to take Torres to Ben Taub General Hospital for medical treatment. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. Torres's body was found two days later. 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. 1977 - Joe Campos Torres -- his death triggered an outcry from the Mexican-American community about police brutality in Houston. As news of the atrocity spread, Torress name became a rallying cry that united the citys Latino community in its search for justice. That trial took place in Huntsville, Tex., 70 miles north of Houston, because the defendants had said they could not get a fair trial in Houston. Leave them blank to get signed up. Houston police officers during riot at Moody Park. An all-white jury found them guilty of negligent homicidea misdemeanorand sentenced the officers to a year's probation and a $1 fine. 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. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. (Studio) Report on conviction of 3 former Houston policemen accused of violating civil rights of Mex.-American who drowned while in their custody. info@texasarchive.org Chief Troy Finner issued the apology on Sunday to the family of Joe Campos Torres, a Mexican-American Vietnam War veteran, who was beaten to death and his body dumped in the Buffalo Bayou by Houston police officers in 1977. ", State Rep. Ben Reyes of Houston, also a Mexican-American, called the verdict "pathetic" and "the worst miscarriage of justice that I've ever seen." The location is just off the 1200 block of Commerce. And sometimes it's Houston murders. Instead, they brought him back to the Hole. 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. You've got five officers sworn to protect, five, sworn to protect and serve and murdered an active military soldier,'. By the time Torres arrived at the jail, authorities refused to book him due to the extent of his injuries. The case and its verdict outraged the local Mexican-American community, sparking protests outside the Harris County Courthouse and police headquarters. The officers were eventually sentenced to nine months in prison, but tensions simmered for a year until they boiled over on the anniversary of Campos Torres' death. Terry Denson was married to Tennie E. (Kimbrough) Denson on October 28, 1971 in Harris County, Texas. They were ordered to take him to Ben Taub General Hospital, but instead of doing so, the officers brought him back to the banks of Buffalo Bayou and pushed him into the water. Denson testified that Torres had said he could swim and had jumped into the water. They were, however, later convicted of civil rights violations and served nine months in prison. On January 15, according to a $100,000 damage suit filed by Robert and Alice Gleason, N. W. Holloway and his partner J. T. Olin were among several other cops who stormed into their Pasadena trailer. The group cleared forty homicides by the end of 1979 and later earned the recognition of the National Latino Peace Officers, in 1997, when they solved 91 percent of the cases theyd been assigned. ", 40 years ago police killed Joe Campos Torres sparking massive Moody Park Riots. We can change these systems. The judge received dismissed the case without explanation. After a jail booking officer refused to accept Torres because of his injuries and ordered him taken to a hospital, the officers returned to the secluded spot, where one of them allegedly pushed him over a 17-foot embankment into the water after saying, "Let's see if this wetback can swim.". A gutted variety store at a shopping center in the 3100 block of Fulton. The former policemen had been on trial in connection with the drowning death of her son. Margaret Torres, mother of Joe Campos Torres, speaks to a crowd gathered at the Houston police station Oct. 8, 1977 to protest the verdict handed down by a Huntsville jury in the the murder trial of former Houston policemen Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando. Houston. Calbillo is one of several people working to get a historical marker for Torres. In 1977, Joe Campos Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. But the Chicano Squad moved mountains with the little resources they had. He was on duty at the time of the murder and HPD discovered he. The two officers convicted in the Torres' case are expected to be sentenced within a few days. The Houston Police Department first arrested Phillips's replacement, a Security Guard Services, Inc. employee named Robert Taylor. A local boat operator called the police, identifying Torres by the military dog tags still hanging around his neck. Houston, and its police department, had to respond. 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. ', Torres' sister Janie said she was 10 at the time of her brother's death and that her family was never the same. 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. 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. News car burns in background as youths prepare to burn Houston police car on Fulton Street. You may visit the Television News Archive on the Vanderbilt campus to view on-site from the Archive's collection. 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. 110 Twenty-first Avenue South, Suite 704 Nashville, TN 37203, USA. 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. the Texanist, is a staff writer. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country, The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition, Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians, The Campaign to Sabotage Texass Public Schools. Vilma Martinez, president of the MexicanAmerican Legal Defense and Educational Fund, also called for the judge's impeachment. The jury heard four weeks of testimony alleging that six police officers had taken Joe Campos Torres, 23, a laborer, from a cheap cantina, where he was arrested for public drunkeness, to a secluded spot near a bayou, where five of them beat him severely while his arms were handcuffed behind his back. Houston police officers give first aid to officer Tommy A. Britt who was injured by a car that broke through a police line at Irvington and Fulton during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. View other clips in this broadcast . Bring on the Shiplap? Houston firemen put out fire of burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. In 1977 Joe Campos Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. Terry Denson, 27; Stephen Orlando, 22, and Joseph J. Janish, 22 -- said they do not plan to appeal the . EXCLUSIVE: Lanzarote sticks to its guns and insists it WILL limit tourists and move away from relying on Jeremy Clarkson DENIES he has been sacked as Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? The squad did not have a single fatal officer-involved shooting during its three-decade tenure. His body was found on May 8Mother's Day. Films shown; previous state trial of 2 officers and demands of local Mex.-Americans for Justice Department probe noted. A third officer, J.J. Janish, was charged with misdemeanor assault. The trials drew national attention, and HPDs newly minted internal affairs unit was overwhelmed with complaints. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. CBS Evening News for Wednesday, Feb 08, 1978 "'You're not going to take him and do what you did to Joe Campos Torres.". REPORTER: Walter Cronkite, (Houston, Texas) Background of case involving alleged beating of Joe Campos Torres, which resulted in his drowning, by officers Terry Wayne Denson, Stephen Orlando and Joseph Janish given. 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. All of the jurors were white, none was Mexican-American and five either worked for law enforcement agencies or had relatives who did. 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. 512-485-3073 'I will never be the same, my family will never be the same. This connection to Torres and to the officers on the Chicano Squad is what allows Alonzo to shine as a host. "We never got justice," his sister Sandra Torres told the Houston Chronicle in 2011. Vanderbilt Television News Archive Find Terry Denson's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading people search directory for contact information and public records. 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.. Assistant District Attorney Ted Poe talks about coordination between the District Attorney's Office and the grand jury. View the profiles of people named Terry Denson. You were a victim [of a crime], so Im going to treat you as a victim. 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! Defense attorney Bob Bennett and his client, Terry Denson, exit the courtroom to deliver comments to the press. Torres was 23 on the night of May 5, 1977, when he was arrested for disorderly conduct at a bar, according to reports from the Houston Chronicle at the time. The city was quickly growing into the murder capital of the United States as a slew of unsolved killings in Houstons barrios piled up. The conflicts could have kept escalating were it not for Houston's new police chief, Harry Caldwell, who was hired a few months after the riot. Poe served as a chief felony prosecutor for eight years before being appointed a state district judge in 1981. Police officers seen outside emergency entrance of Memorial Hermann following the fatal shooting of an on-duty Houston Police Department officer Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, in Houston. 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. They were ordered to take him to Ben Taub General Hospital, but instead of doing so, the officers brought him back to the banks of Buffalo Bayou and pushed him into the water. Three days later, on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 8, 1977 his dead body was found severely beaten and floating in the Buffalo Bayou, a creek on the outskirts of downtown Houston. Houston firemen fight a blaze which was reportedly set by rioters in the 4400 block of Fulton. Updated: June 20, 2015. After adjustments, if you continue to experience problems, please contact us. In interviews with members of the Chicano Squad, the podcast shines a light on its predicament. The Killing of Jos Campos Torres. Joining HPD was regarded almost as a betrayal. 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. For Alonzo, the Chicano Squad is a reminder that reform is possible, even if its difficult to sustain. The violence May 7 left five police officers and two newsmen injured, and several stores in the area burned or looted. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Police attempts to break up the crowd were met with waves of retaliation by the attendees. 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. On the night of May 5, 1977, Houston police officers arrested Torres at an East End bar for disorderly conduct. The girl's parents told the police they went to sleep at about 11 p.m. Saturday, and when . Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. It's never had its own day, but is definitely something that should be remembered, a lesson of Houston history and among Mexican-Americans. Two days after Torres was arrested, his mangled body was found floating in Buffalo Bayou. The arresting officers took him to a place dubbed 'the hole,' an area behind a warehouse along the Buffalo Bayou, and beat him before taking Torres to the city jail. 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