Family seeks justice in the murder of Raul Esparza

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY)-Police arrest another suspect in the murder case of Raul Esparza.

According to court officials, Torres was in court Thursday via video conference call in what appeared to be a closed session. Torre's court date was to Monday for confirmation of the council, meaning Torres may still be waiting to have an attorney appointed to her case.

It’s unclear if a judge reviewed her bail of $1 million, but according to the Imperial County Jail, it remains at one million dollars.

It's a bail the mother of Raul Esparza said should not be lowered.

"Absolutely not, she is dangerous. She is very, very dangerous. When this first happened I didn't know anything about her, but as the case went on we tried figuring what was going on. We started to learn a lot of things and she is a dangerous person," said Noemi Montez, Esparza's mother.

Torres and Munguia are the prime suspects in Esparza’s murder that happened in September 2019.

[RELATED STORY: Murder suspect to make first court appearance in Raul Esparza’s case]

It’s a story that seems straight out of a movie.

Torres says her son Erasmo ripped from her after he was shot and killed in El Centro in July 2019.

In a turn of events, Torres is now a suspect in Esparza’s death, a man who we’ve now learned was good friends with her son Erasmo.

They were close enough friends that after Erasmo's death, Raul Esparza would often visit Erasmo's memorial by the train tracks in El Centro to pay his respects to Erasmo.

"I just picture him walking up and down the street all the time. He would walk up all the time and after this happened with his friend he would pass by and I would tell him don't go there just stay here, and he would say no I have to. I have to pay my respects," said Rosie Montez, Esparza's family member.

The same place Esparza would go pay his respects ended up being the same area where his life was taken.

“There was a body discovered that was burning behind the tracks. After that, I just had a bad feeling. I had a bad feeling that it was him," said Noemi Montez, Esparza’s mom.

Montez says she had no connection to the Torres family. She only knew that Erasmo was her son’s friend.

"We are looking for justice. That’s not going to bring him back, but like I said our family dynamic is never going to be the same," said Montez.

Montez says her son will always be remembered as that person who had a big heart.

“As the person of the family, the one that would bring happiness and would make us laugh. We remember the good times we used to have with him," said Montez.

Torres's next court date August 31st.

Torres is expected back again along with Daniel Mungia on September 3rd for a readiness conference.