On a tragic day in Glendale, Arizona, 23-year-old Selina Marie Toyos and her 4-year-old daughter, Aleena Marie Bermudez, were found shot to death in their home on June 30, 2019. The gruesome discovery was made after police received a call late that night regarding a possible shooting at the residence near 61st and Missouri avenues. Upon arrival, officers found the home secured and had to force entry, whereupon they found the bodies of the mother and daughter.
The initial report to the police came from a family member of Selina's boyfriend, Brandon Andres Bautista Torres, who was 24 years old at the time.
Torres, who was not the father of Aleena but shared a one-year-old son with Selina, initially presented a story of a home invasion. He claimed that an intruder had broken into their home, and during a struggle, both Selina and Aleena were shot. He told investigators that he fled the scene with their infant son to his parents' house in Surprise for safety, even covering the victims' bodies before he left. However, his account of the events began to unravel as he provided multiple conflicting stories to the police. He failed to call 911 for three hours after the shooting, stating that he was afraid he would be blamed.
Investigators found no evidence to support Torres's home invasion claim. There were no signs of forced entry or a struggle within the residence. His inconsistent statements, coupled with a history of domestic abuse that included a prior incident of threatening Selina with a gun, led police to focus on him as the primary suspect. A friend of Selina's later confirmed that Torres had been abusive in the past. Despite his claims of being assaulted by the intruder, police found no marks on him. It was also reported that he had told a friend he had thrown the gun out of his vehicle and attempted to clean up blood at the scene.
Ultimately, Brandon Andres Bautista Torres was arrested and charged with the murders of Selina Toyos and Aleena Bermudez. He later pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder and one count of manslaughter. In June 2025, a judge sentenced him to natural life in prison for the murders, ensuring he would spend the rest of his life behind bars for what the Maricopa County Attorney's Office described as a 'horrific and cowardly act of domestic violence.' The community was left to mourn the loss of a young mother and her child, whose lives were cut short in a senseless act of violence. Family and friends gathered for vigils and fundraisers to honor their memory.
