In the late summer of 2014, the life of 19-year-old Hispanic female Victoria Torres was tragically cut short. On the morning of August 9, 2014, a farmworker in a remote area of Benton County, Washington, discovered a horrific scene: the bodies of three young people from Pasco. Among them was Victoria Torres. The other victims were identified as 23-year-old Abigail Torres-Renteria and 22-year-old David Perez-Saucedo.
The two women were not related.
The investigation into the triple homicide revealed a brutal and calculated crime. While all three victims had been shot, an autopsy showed that Victoria Torres had also been strangled. It appeared she had been shot in the back while trying to flee her attackers. Her body was found a short distance away from the others in a cornfield off Nine Canyon Road and Coffin Road. Investigators determined that a rosary she was wearing left an impression on her neck from the struggle. The night before their bodies were found, the three victims had been seen on surveillance footage at a gas station in Umatilla, Oregon, with a group of people, at least one of whom was armed.
The investigation quickly focused on a group of men from Umatilla. Francisco J. Resendez Miranda, then 23, was arrested the day after the bodies were discovered and was later charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder. His father, Fidel Miranda-Huitron, and his two brothers, Eduardo and Fernando Miranda-Resendiz, were also identified as persons of interest in the case. However, they were believed to have fled to Mexico shortly after the murders, and only Francisco Miranda was brought to trial. The motive for the killings was believed to be revenge against David Perez-Saucedo.
During his trial, testimony revealed that Francisco Miranda had made incriminating statements to others. The state's theory was that Miranda and his family members abducted the three victims to seek revenge on Perez-Saucedo. After shooting them, it was believed that Miranda's family members strangled Victoria Torres when they realized she had not died from the initial gunshot. A tank top with Victoria Torres's blood on it was found during a search of Miranda's apartment. In November 2015, Francisco J. Resendez Miranda was found guilty on all three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His father and brothers, however, were never apprehended.
