Garland Police Seek Suspect In Murder Of Journalist
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GARLAND (CBSDFW) - Garland Homicide Detectives on Tuesday named a suspect in the June 13 murder of reporter Jay Torres and said the crime had to do with a lawsuit over a house sale – not Torres' journalism work as some had speculated.
Anibal Edilfredo Chirino Mejia, 23, of Garland was identified by detectives as the suspect.
On June 13, Jay Torres, 57, was found with a gunshot wound to the upper body in the backyard of a home on Mayflower Drive. Investigators said he was dead for "multiple days".
Family members said Torres had worked on stories such as human trafficking that could place him in danger. They told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he was at the Garland home as part of his other work flipping homes.
"It was discovered that 23 year old Anibal Mejia had intentions of filing a lawsuit against Torres. The investigation further lead our investigators to believe that Mejia was the one that actually committed the murder against Jay Torres," said Pedro Barineau with Garland police.
Detectives determined that Mejia had intentions of filing a lawsuit against Torres and believe that he ultimately shot and killed him.
Police have issued a murder warrant for his arrest and are working with U.S. Marshalls in an effort to find and arrest him.
If anyone has any information regarding the whereabouts of Anibal Edilfredo Chirino Mejia, they are asked to contact the Garland Police Department at 972.485.4840. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to Garland Crime Stoppers at: 972.272.8477 (TIPS), or garlandcrimestoppers.org.
A reward of up to $5,000 has been offered by Garland Crimes Stoppers for information leading to an arrest or grand jury indictment.
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