Jorge Avila-Torrez: Serial Murders in Illinois and Virginia
Jorge Avila-Torrez is an American serial killer and former United States Marine whose crimes stretched from his teenage years in Illinois to his military service in Virginia. He was ultimately held responsible for the murders of three people: eight-year-old Laura Hobbs, nine-year-old Krystal Tobias, and 20-year-old U.S. Navy Petty Officer Amanda Jean Snell. His identification as the killer came only after a series of violent attacks on women in Virginia led police to obtain his DNA, connecting him to crimes that had remained unsolved for years.
The case of Avila-Torrez is particularly notable because the 2005 murders of Hobbs and Tobias initially resulted in the wrongful arrest of Laura Hobbs's father. The true killer remained free, later joined the Marine Corps, and went on to murder again. DNA evidence, recorded jail conversations, surviving victims, and extensive forensic evidence eventually exposed the connection between the Illinois child murders, Snell's murder on a military installation, and Avila-Torrez's later attacks on women in Arlington, Virginia.
The Murders of Laura Hobbs and Krystal Tobias
On May 8, 2005, Mother's Day, eight-year-old Laura Hobbs and her nine-year-old friend Krystal Tobias were together in Zion, Illinois. Avila-Torrez was only 16 years old at the time and lived in the same community. Evidence later presented in federal court established that the two girls encountered Avila-Torrez in a park in Zion that evening.
When Laura and Krystal failed to return home, their families became alarmed and a search was organized. The following morning, Laura's father and grandfather discovered the girls in a wooded portion of the park. Both children had been killed with a knife.
Laura had suffered approximately 20 stab wounds. The injuries were distributed across several areas of her body and included wounds severe enough to damage internal organs. Krystal had been stabbed 11 times, suffering wounds to her torso and neck that caused massive bleeding. Evidence also established that Laura had been sexually assaulted.
Investigators recovered important biological evidence from Laura's body and clothing. Male DNA was also recovered from her hand. At the time, however, investigators did not have a matching DNA profile identifying the person responsible.
The investigation soon took a disastrous turn. Laura's father, Jerry Hobbs, was questioned and eventually charged with murdering both girls. Although forensic testing excluded him as the source of crucial DNA evidence, Hobbs remained incarcerated for years while the actual killer remained unidentified.
DNA Reveals a Different Suspect
The biological evidence from the 2005 crime scene was retained and entered into forensic databases. The break in the case did not occur until 2010, after Avila-Torrez was arrested for a series of violent crimes against women in Virginia and his DNA became available for comparison.
A forensic examiner obtained a potential match between Avila-Torrez and evidence from the Hobbs murder. More detailed testing produced an extraordinarily strong match. According to evidence later discussed in federal court, the statistical probability of another unrelated individual sharing the relevant DNA profile was approximately one in 985 quadrillion.
The discovery transformed the investigation. The evidence excluded the theory that Laura's father had committed the murders and instead pointed to a teenager who had lived in Zion at the time and who had subsequently entered the United States Marine Corps.
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