Man Already Serving Five Life Sentences Charged with 2005 Double Homicide

 Posted on May 21, 2012 in Criminal Defense

According to a story by CBS Chicago, Jerry Hobbs sat in the Lake County jail for five years, charged with the murders of his eight year old daughter Laura and her nine year old friend Krystal Tobias. On May 9, 2005, Mother’s Day, the bodies of the two girls were found in the Beulah Park Forest Reserve in Zion. After being interrogated for twenty hours, Hobbs confessed to the crimes.

But in 2010, DNA evidence linked another man, Jorge Torrez, 23, to the crimes and Hobbs was released. Torrez was a one time friend of Krystal Tobias’ brother and lived in the same neighborhood. He left the area in 2005 when he joined the Marines and was

stationed in the Virginia area.

Torrez is currently serving five life sentences in Virginia. He was convicted of rape, robbery and abduction in two separate attacks in 2010. He also faces federal first-degree murder charges in Virginia for the 2009 kidnapping, rape and murder of Amanda Snell, a

Navy petty officer, at a base in Arlington, Virginia.

Now Torrez has been charged with 18 counts of murder for stabbing the two young girls to death. If convicted, he faces another life sentence.

Meanwhile, Jerry Hobbs has filed a lawsuit against Lake County for the false charges authorities filed against him. In an interview with CBS Chicago, Hobbs said he was pressured into signing a confession. The lawsuit says for 20 hours “Hobbs had been beaten and threatened with further violence,” even after he asked for a lawyer.

“I was a broke man,” said Hobbs. “I just gave them what they wanted.” After an arrest, you have the right to an attorney. Make sure you&re getting the best legal advice by contacting Kathryn L. Harry and Associates for your criminal defense case.

Jerry Hobbs spent five years in jail accused of a crime he did not commit. Don’t let that happen to you. If you are facing criminal charges, whether or not you are guilty, you need an experienced criminal defense lawyer to help you avoid potentially life changing consequences. Contact a Chicago criminal defense attorney at Kathryn L. Harry and Associates today for superb legal advice.