Man Pleads Not Guilty in Alleged ’84 Slaying as Police Seek Body
FILLMORE — Cadaver-sniffing dogs could not find him, but authorities said they will continue to search for the remains of a farm laborer they believe was slain and buried in a shallow grave on a ranch near Fillmore.
Mario Torres disappeared March 28, 1984. Police believe he was killed, and even though no body has been recovered, prosecutors charged 39-year-old Ruben Rodriguez with the murder.
Rodriguez, who runs a restaurant in Lindsey, Calif., pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday. He is in the Ventura County Jail, awaiting a Jan. 29 preliminary hearing, with bail set at $1 million.
Officials from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department said two cadaver-sniffing dogs were brought in last week from Washington state to search an area where Torres is believed to be buried.
The dogs did not find any remains, but they picked up a human scent, helping authorities to narrow the area of the search.
“We are not through searching for the skeletal remains,†said Capt. Larry Robertson, who heads the Sheriff’s Department’s major crime unit. “Based on the preliminary search by the dogs, we believe we may have narrowed the area of the search, and our next effort will be focused on that area.â€
Authorities plan to bring in electronic search tools, but Robertson would not elaborate on what type of devices may be used.
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Rodriguez defense attorney Victor Salas said his client has a “crystal clear record,†and questioned the wisdom of charging Rodriguez with murder when authorities have not recovered a body or a murder weapon.
He argued that Torres may be alive, adding that family members recalled him disappearing before, sometimes for periods of months or years.
“We have someone who reported that he went to Canada,†Salas said.
Ventura County officials first learned of the alleged murder three months ago when a suspect in another crime came forward with information, hoping to use it to get a lighter sentence.
Two other men, cousins of the prosecution’s confidential witness, corroborated the story, saying they were at the scene.
The witnesses, all apparently either close friends or family members of Rodriguez, said Torres was shot in the head and stomach and then buried in the Bardsdale area of Fillmore. Authorities also captured on videotape the witness talking to Rodriguez about the alleged slaying, Salas said.
“We’ve asked to see the tape and Mr. Rodriguez would like to see the tape,†Salas said.
Although Rodriguez apparently talks about Torres on the tape and an incident in March 1984, Salas said it is unclear he is talking about a slaying.
Prosecutors are also looking for a Guatemalan man known as Walter Medrano, who is believed to have witnessed the shooting. The name may be an alias.
Salas alleged that the two cousins who cooperated with authorities were asked leading questions to corroborate the story.
Prosecutors say they have not established a solid motive for the crime, but one witness told investigators that Torres was killed after he made untoward advances on Rodriguez’s wife.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Maeve Fox, who is prosecuting Rodriguez, would not comment on the case, except to say that the investigation is continuing.
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