Torres resentenced, gets 30 years
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The defendant, Abel Torres, now 20, was sentenced to 30 years in prison by Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley on charges of aggravated robbery and attempted second-degree murder. The sentence was given following a re-sentencing hearing Friday in which the wounded clerk, Angela McCormick, and the Good Samaritan who saved her life, Tim Young, testified as to the events of Sept. 14, 1999.
His original sentence of 36 years was struck down by the Tennessee Court of Appeals after it found the reasons given for the maximum sentence were not sufficient to support the original sentence. The appeals court noted Torres had no prior record and was 16 at the time of the crime. The case was sent back down for re-sentencing.
The 30-year sentence comes after Torres opened fire on McCormick as she sat in her car outside Pit Stop North. McCormick had just closed the store when Torres and his half-brother, Michael Cabrera (serving 10 years for his part in the crime), arrived to rob the business. Prosecutors proved it was Torres who pulled the trigger on the semi-automatic rifle, shooting McCormick in the shoulder through her windshield.
During sentencing, investigators described Torres, then 16, as having no remorse for his actions, noting he sometimes smiled when describing the events. McCormick broke down on the stand at time while recalling the incident of four years ago.
Judge Stanley passed the maximum 30-year sentence allowed by the appeals court, saying the incarceration was necessary to protect the community and calling Torres a dangerous offender.
Torres will be required to serve about 10 years of his sentence before his first chance of parole.