Norma Lopez’s Accused Killer Pleads Not Guilty
The man accused of abducting and killing Moreno Valley teenager Norma Angelica Lopez pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a murder charge and a special circumstance allegation of killing in the course of a kidnapping.
Jesse Perez Torres, 35, of Long Beach could face the death penalty if convicted in the July 2010 death of the 17-year-old girl.
Perez appeared with his attorney before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Richard Fields, who set a felony settlement conference in the case for Jan. 6.
The defendant remains in custody without bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.
The 5-foot-5, 110-pound defendant was arrested on Oct. 20 and momentarily released a few days later after the state-mandated 48-hour period in which a detainee can be legally held without violating his constitutional right to speedy arraignment lapsed, with no charges having been filed by the District Attorney’s Office.
He was immediately re-arrested on the same allegations.
District Attorney’s Office spokesman John Hall said the case required an extensive review, leading to a delay in filing the complaint.
According to Supervising Deputy District Attorney Mike Soccio, Torres was linked to the crime forensically through DNA, though he did not disclose how that evidence was collected.
Torres lived within a block of Valley View High School at the time of Norma’s murder.
She walked along the street in front of the defendant’s home on the day she was abducted, authorities said.
The teenager was abducted while crossing a field used as a shortcut between the school and Cottonwood Avenue on July 15, 2010, according to investigators. After finishing a morning summer session class, she headed out alone across the open space, intending to meet up with her boyfriend, younger sister and friends at a home in the 27300 block of Cottonwood Avenue.
Around noon, the teen was reported missing, and deputies located her personal items strewn across the field, indicating a struggle.
Her remains were discovered five days later, about 2 1/2 miles away, on Theodore Street in a sparsely populated area of east Moreno Valley.
A man preparing to mow his front lawn saw the teen’s body under a tree.
The case attracted national attention and inspired local residents to organize searches, fundraisers and memorials for the girl, who would have graduated from Valley View in June.
The focus of the investigation was initially on a green sport utility vehicle, which witnesses reported speeding away from the area of Norma’s abduction.
Hall said Torres owned a vehicle similar to the one described at the time of the crime. The defendant moved to Long Beach less than a month later.
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