Man said intruder fatally shot girlfriend, her child, but he lied, AZ officials say
A man accused of killing his girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter has been sentenced, Arizona prosecutors say.
Brandon Andres Bautista Torres, 30, was given a natural life prison sentence in connection with the 2019 slayings, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said in a June 4 news release.
McClatchy News was unable to immediately reach an attorney representing Torres on June 4.
“This was a horrific and cowardly act of domestic violence that claimed two innocent lives,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in the release. “He no longer deserves the chance to walk freely in this community.”
In June 2019, Torres called 911 and told Glendale police an intruder broke into his home and “shot his girlfriend and her daughter,” prosecutors said.
Torres said he left the home with his toddler son and went to his parents’ home but said he would return, according to prosecutors.
However, when Torres came back to the home, he told police a different story, saying that a gun fired while he struggled with an intruder, who then left, prosecutors said.
Investigators questioned “why it took him three hours to report the crime,” and “Torres said he feared being blamed,” prosecutors said.
Torres told police he waited hours as he worried the intruder would “get more people and come back,” according to court documents obtained by KNXV.
Torres, who prosecutors said has a “history of domestic abuse,” previously threatened the same girlfriend with a gun.
Torres’ sentencing comes after he pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder and one count of manslaughter, prosecutors said.
Glendale is about a 10-mile drive northwest from Phoenix.
This story was originally published June 4, 2025 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Man said intruder fatally shot girlfriend, her child, but he lied, AZ officials say."
