Their convictions were for criminally negligent homicide, a first-degree misdemeanor. Torres, an American citizen and a former serviceman, was wearing combat boots at the time of the fatal plunge. The US Department of Justice subsequently conducted its own investigation. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. Testimony at the Federal trial alleged that Mr. Torres was beaten severely after his arrest and forced to jump into the bayou by Mr. Denson, who told the man he wanted to see if a wetback can swim. Mr. Torres was a native Houstonian and a Vietnam veteran. Each to Serve Extra Day for Roles in Suspect's Death Judge Assailed as Too Lenient. Who Said It: Legendary Houston Comedian Bill Hicks or New El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks? 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. the Texanist, is a staff writer. Join Facebook to connect with Terry Denson and others you may know. Two former Houston policemen on trial for beating and drowning a Mexican-American prisoner in their custody last May were convicted by a jury today of misdemeanor charges that will cost each no more than a year in jail and a $2,000 fine. On May 8, Mr. Torres's body was found floating in the bayou. See the article in its original context from. Burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. 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. Decades before the recent police violence in Memphis, a brutally beaten Latino man was tossed by officers into a Houston bayou and drowned. According to sworn testimony, the officers then spreadeagled the prisoner against a patrol car, and Mr. Denson, after some discussion of what to do with the prisoner, said, Let's see if this wetback can swim. The prosecutors contended that Mr. Denson then pushed Mr. Torres into the bayou. Torres subsequently drowned. Its possible.. By the time Torres arrived at the jail, authorities refused to book him due to the extent of his injuries. In 1978, the Cinco de Mayo celebrations at Moody Park erupted into riots. Two days later, his body was found badly beaten floating in Buffalo Bayou. "'You're not going to take him and do what you did to Joe Campos Torres.". The appeals court did not specify the severity of the sentences to be imposed, however, and John Wilson, a Justice Department spokesman in Washington, said that no further appeals would be forthcoming because the judge had acted within the limits of the order.. The state granted immunity for two others, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, in exchange for their testimony. When they brought him to the station, according to the testimony of a police sergeant on duty, Mr. Torres needed medical treatment. (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. Report: Houston is the No. And those who chronicled the attack said the executioner was. Two Houston police officers stand guard over a wrecked convenience store at 3814 Fulton. Judge Sterling has been criticized recently by some members of a Federal grand jury here that handed up antiracketeering indictments against two oilbrokering firms. Houstonians should take pride in knowing that a once-troubled department is now a model for the nation. Latinos around town began pinning a single dollar bill to their shirts, meant to symbolize what their lives were worth in the eyes of the criminal justice system. And though her mother instilled in her a love for the U.S., Alonzo was also aware that her identity as a Mexican American sometimes made her a target. Witnesses on the other side of the bayou couldnt make out what was happening in the darkness, but they heard a scuffle, then a splash. The cops got to go home to their families while he was floating in the water for three days.". Earlier this month, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the appeal and ordered Judge Sterling to impose prison terms. The former officers have admitted that they beat their handcuffed prisoner for insolence before booking him. Though he served in that role for less than three years, Caldwell instituted key reforms that still exist today, such as HPD's first internal affairs department, HPD's first formal manual and the first liaisons to minority communities. Testimony indicated that Oralando, who drove the patrol car in which Torres was transported, had encouraged Denson by "this would be a good time" to see if "the wetback" could swim. 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.". 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, Feb. 8 Three former Houston police officers were found guilty in Federal District Court here today of beating a MeicanAmerican prisoner last May and then pushing him into a downtown bayou, where he drowned. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanoron October 6. 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. Instead of being transferred to Ben Taub Hospital for treatment, Torres was taken to a site along Buffalo Bayou near Commerce, where he either jumped or was pushed into the bayou. Two of the officers who had beaten Torres, Terry W. Denson and Stephen Orlando, were charged with murder. Instead, they brought him back to the Hole. The officers involved were found guilty of negligent homicide and ultimately given a year and a day in prison for civil rights violations. The unidentified suspect was suspected of throwing a brick during the riot. The Department of Justice is supposed to fill that leadership role at a national level. Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Longtime Virginia men's basketball coach Terry Holland has died, the school announced Monday. Instead, they returned him to the hole, where they continued to beat him, and where he was either pushed or fell into the bayou. The three former officers are to be sentenced late next month. Service station vandalized by riotersduring riot at Moody Park. The Government appealed, arguing that probation was not permissible in cases where the possible penalty was life in prison, as it is in Federal civil rights cases in which the victim has died. It's never had its own day, but is definitely something that should be remembered, a lesson of Houston history and among Mexican-Americans. After adjustments, if you continue to experience problems, please contact us. It is the headquarters for the Texas prison system. His body was found on May 8Mother's Day. He said looters from the riot at Moody Park knocked out windows and forced the clerk to flee through the back of the store as the crowd looted. Houston Police Chief B. G. "Pappy" Bond holds a press conference in his office. This connection to Torres and to the officers on the Chicano Squad is what allows Alonzo to shine as a host. 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. We want to let the people know what kind of person he was and what he meant to my family,' Molina said. On June 28, a Harris County grand jury indicted two of the officers, Terry Denson and Steven Orlando, for murder and a third, J. J. Janisch, for misdemeanor assault. 1977, Houston Police officer Terry Denson yelled, "Let's see if this wetback can swim!" Denson, along with five other white policemen (Louis Kinney, Glen Brinkmeyer, Joseph Janish, Stephen Orlando, and Carless Elliot) had arrested Torres after responding to a complaint of a drunken A convenience store/drive-in grocery at 3814 Fulton is vandalized by riotersin the 1978 Moody Park riots. Ruben Bonilla, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, termed the sentences a shocking, obnoxious misuse of Federal power and urged that Judge Sterling be impeached. In 1977 Joe Campos Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. Bond resigned months later after only serving a year. Police responded to a call at the park on the evening of May 7, 1978, and as the crowd began chanting Justice for Jose Torres, a riot broke out. The judge gave the three suspended sentences of 10 years, plus five years probation, on the felony charge that resulted from Mr. Torres's death. Garcia said there had been progress in that Chief Harry Caldwell has required officers to register the extra weapons they carry with them, has banned the use of "long rifles" such as deer rifles, and has forbidden officers to shoot at fleeing suspects who aren't threatening their safety or that of others. The case became a national symbol of police brutality against Hispanics in the Southwest. 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. info@texasarchive.org In 2010, because HPDs increasingly diverse workforce now includes a higher number of Spanish-speaking officers, the group was disbanded. Any editing, reproduction, publication, rebroadcast, public showing or public display may be prohibited by copyright laws. On May 5, 1977, Houston police arrested Jos Campos Torres, a 23-year-old Mexican American and Vietnam War veteran, at an East End bar for disorderly conduct. Officer Terry Denson came up with the idea: "Let's see if the wetback can swim," he said. 3 EXPOLICE OFFICERS CONVICTED IN HOUSTON, https://www.nytimes.com/1978/02/09/archives/3-expolice-officers-convicted-in-houston-found-guilty-in-civil.html. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. "Let's see if the wetback can swim." With those words, Officer. https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/31/archives/3-former-officers-sentenced-in-texas-each-to-serve-extra-day-for.html. 'Let's get this clear because there's been some chatter in the neighborhoods [about] how Chief Finner feels about this,' he said of Torres' death, 'and that is straight-up murder of somebody. The family was surrounded by hundreds of supporters and friends as . Taylor Prewitt is the newsletter editor for Texas Monthly. . Houston, and its police department, had to respond. That sort of exchange previously would have been unimaginable. 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Torres drowned after he had been arrested by Houston police officers for creating a disturbance in an East End bar. Assistant District Attorney Ted Poe talks about coordination between the District Attorney's Office and the grand jury. (Two activists, Travis Morales and Mara Youngdahl, were later fined a total of $9,000 on misdemeanor riot charges.). Mr. Elliott later became a prosecution witness at both trials. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Bring on the Shiplap? Vilma Martinez, president of the MexicanAmerican Legal Defense and Educational Fund, also called for the judge's impeachment. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. Cat Cardenas is a writer focused on culture, entertainment, and the states Latino community. By Gloria Rubac posted on April 12, 2022. Become a member to support the independent voice of Houston Terry Denson, 27; Stephen Orlando, 22, and Joseph J. Janish, 22 -- said they do not plan to appeal the . 'I am the chief of police, but I am a son of Houston, and what people need to understand is if you cannot see and feel 44 years of pain and suffering of this family, you're not human,' Finner said. 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. The Houston Police Department first arrested Phillips's replacement, a Security Guard Services, Inc. employee named Robert Taylor. Two additional officers at the scene, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, were suspended from duty but granted immunity by the state in exchange for their testimony. October 18, 2016 By the following morning, 28 demonstrators had been taken into custody. In Chicano Squad, an eleven-episode podcast released in January by Vox Media, host and actress Cristela Alonzo follows Houstons attempts to grapple with the aftermath of Torress death, which included the creation of the first all-Latino homicide squad in the country. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. There, they brutally beat him for several hours. Federal prosecutors termed the verdict a compromise, noting that the defendants were not found guilty of additional charges that they had conspired to obstruct justice by withholding information about the incident from Federal investigators. Torres' nephew, Richard Molina, said the family is in communication with the city to find a proper way to memorialize his uncle. Police attempts to break up the crowd were met with waves of retaliation by the attendees. According to the podcast, between 1950, when the police department hired its first Hispanic officer, and 1970, HPD had hired fewer than 20 Hispanic officers. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Watch: Astros SP Luis Garcia debuts new windup after rule changes, Oops! Sam Buyajian 33, surveys the wreckage of his drive-in grocery at 3814 Fulton. Nonetheless, Garcia said he is distressed by incidents, including the recent shooting deaths of a black police erroneously believed to be an armed robber and of a 16-year-old unarmed Mexican-American burglary suspect. In interviews with members of the Chicano Squad, the podcast shines a light on its predicament. Historian Dwight David Watson, who is interviewed in Chicano Squad, wrote a book on twentieth-century HPD history in which he traces its ties to the Ku Klux Klan in the twenties and the years of racist incidents and attempts at reform that followed. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. His death and the light punishment the officers received would spark the infamous Moody Park Riot one year later. He drowned after being beaten by officers and thrown into Buffalo Bayou. 3908 Avenue B, Suite 105 Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Terry W. Denson. HOUSTON, Oct. 30 Federal District Judge Ross N. Sterling, acting under orders from a Federal appeals court to impose prison terms on three former Houston police officers he had sentenced to probation for their roles in the death of a young MexicanAmerican man, today handed the three what amounted to an extra day in orison. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. October 7, 1977 Two former Houston policemen on trial for beating and drowning a Mexican-American prisoner in their custody last May were convicted by a jury today of misdemeanor charges that. Robert Bennett, attorney for Mr. Denson, who had been specifically charged with pushing Mr. Torres into the water, said that he would argue against a prison sentence for his client. Houston police take man into custody during Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. The officers on trial, Stephen Orlando, 21 years old, and Terry Denson . Police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. The killing of Torres - a Hispanic veteran arrested at an East End bar - was the spark that set off a series of protests, firings and reforms that eventually transformed the Houston Police Department into the modern crime-fighting institution that we know today. info@texasarchive.org For Alonzo, the Chicano Squad is a reminder that reform is possible, even if its difficult to sustain. Torres subsequently drowned. His body was found days later. The Torres case prompted the Houston Police Department to create its Internal Affairs Division in 1977. 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. Members of Houstons Latino community described the light sentences as a slap in the face. On the first anniversary of Torress death, protests reached a fever pitch during a Cinco de Mayo celebration at Moody Park. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Family members and friends of his are working to win approval of historical markers at Moody Park to commemorate Torres' death and the community's reaction. Material supplied by VTNA may be used for educational analysis or research only. He was on duty at the time of the murder and HPD discovered he. Caldwell agreed, greenlighting a three-month-long pilot program in August of 1979 with five recruits who now made up the Chicano Squad: Cecil Mosqueda, Robert Gatewood, U.P. As we said at the time: what difference is it going to make to have the cops speaking Spanish when they brutalize and murder someone? he asks on the podcast. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. The people would open their hearts towards us because we were able to communicate with them, Mosqueda says in the podcast. You've got five officers sworn to protect, five, sworn to protect and serve and murdered an active military soldier,'. A local boat operator called the police, identifying Torres by the military dog tags still hanging around his neck. Today, Campos Torres' family is working to erect an official marker to commemorate his death and the riots. Reuben Bonilla of Corpus Christi, who heads the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in Texas, called the verdict "the most deplorable and unconscionable in recent memory," and said he fears Hispanic-American violence unless the Justic Department acts promptly to bring a federal case against the officers. Adrian Garcia, former HPD officer and current Harris County commissioner, said some of his friends stopped talking to him when he joined the force, calling him a sellout. 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