FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Sentencing day for a man convicted of murdering his wife turned bizarre when he started talking with the commander in chief while on the stand.
Family members took the stand before the defendant, Cid Torrez, took the stand and went on his rant, which halted proceedings.
A psychologist is now evaluating Torrez before sentencing can continue.
Torrez had been found guilty of murdering his wife, Vilet Torrez, in 2012. Police believe that the defendant murdered his wife with their three children just upstairs in their house.
Their daughter, who was 12 years old at the time, said she remembers hearing her parents fighting before she heard a howling noise. After that, she said she heard her father say, “No, you wake up. You wake up” several times.
Vilet’s body has not been found, but a jury still found Torrez guilty of murder.
Because her body is still missing, the family was not able to have a proper funeral.
The defendant’s daughter took the stand on Thursday and told the judge to not have mercy on her father.
“I can’t even celebrate my own birthday without crying,” said Vilet, who has the same name as her mother. “He was supposed to be there for them. He was supposed to take care of them, and he didn’t. Look at what happened. Look at what happened to all of us.”
In court Thursday, she addressed her father. “You make me sick. How dare you have the nerve to do this to me, to your sons, to your family, to my mom’s family,” Vilet said, “and still write ‘I love you very much’ in your letters. If you loved us, you would have known when to stop.”
The victim’s brother, Javier Blanco, took the stand to speak to his sister. “Vilet, I miss you. I love you,” he said, “and I hope you rest in peace.”
When Torrez took the stand, he addressed his kids but did not apologize for the crime. “I never committed that crime,” he said.
That’s when he began to address the president. “Commander in Chief, the witch hunt ends here,” Torrez said on the stand. “My name is Cid Torrez.”
The judge asked Torrez who he was referring to and he said “Donald Trump.”
Sentencing was placed on hold until Oct. 23.
Torrez was convicted of second-degree murder.
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