One of the counts, involving a violation of Federal civil rights laws in which death results, is a felony, with the maximum sentence life in prison. As the story goes, the 23-year-old was beaten so severely that authorities refused to accept him into the City Jail. Find Terry Denson's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading people search directory for contact information and public records. His drowned body was found three days later on May 8, 1977 - exactly 40 years ago today. His body was found days later. More often than not, they were the first Spanish-speaking officers the victims had come into contact with. The three foriner officers, Terry W. Denson, 27 years old, Stephen Orlando, 22, and Joseph J. Janish, 24, were convicted after a twoweek trial on two counts of violating the civil rights of. The appeals court did not specify the severity of the sentences to be imposed, however, and John Wilson, a Justice Department spokesman in Washington, said that no further appeals would be forthcoming because the judge had acted within the limits of the order.. HPD offers a rewarding career, exceptional benefits and a competitive salary. Dairy Queen Gets an Updated Jingle, Courtesy of Josh Abbott, Check Out Kilgores Treasure Trove of Vintage Cameras, Radios, and TVs, How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire. Judge Sterling has been criticized recently by some members of a Federal grand jury here that handed up antiracketeering indictments against two oilbrokering firms. Im not an immigration officer. Denson and Orlando were also convicted of assault and sentenced to nine months in prison. ", State Rep. Ben Reyes of Houston, also a Mexican-American, called the verdict "pathetic" and "the worst miscarriage of justice that I've ever seen." A year later and still feeling as though justice had not been served, members of Houstons Hispanic community rose up in a post Cinco de Mayo riot at the citys Moody Park. Houston police take man into custody during Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner comforts Margarita Campos Torres, the mother of 23-year-old Jose Campos Torres killed by police in 1977, as they stand in front of a trail at 1301 Commerce with an Army photo of her son dedicated in his honor April 2 in downtown Houston. 512-485-3073 Caldwell agreed, greenlighting a three-month-long pilot program in August of 1979 with five recruits who now made up the Chicano Squad: Cecil Mosqueda, Robert Gatewood, U.P. This unedited footage from Houston's KPRC-TV captures protesters outside the Houston Police Department headquarters on May 16, 1977. Two former Houston policemen on trial for beating and drowning a Mexican-American prisoner in their custody last May were convicted by a jury today of misdemeanor charges that will cost each no more than a year in jail and a $2,000 fine. It's been 40 years since 23-year-old Vietnam War veteran Joe Campos Torres' body was found washed up on the banks of the Buffalo Bayou. The officers on trial, Stephen Orlando, 21 years old, and Terry Denson . Films shown; previous state trial of 2 officers and demands of local Mex.-Americans for Justice Department probe noted. Bond resigned months later after only serving a year. . Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. A convenience store/drive-in grocery at 3814 Fulton is vandalized by riotersin the 1978 Moody Park riots. The officers were eventually sentenced to nine months in prison, but tensions simmered for a year until they boiled over on the anniversary of Campos Torres' death. A local boat operator called the police, identifying Torres by the military dog tags still hanging around his neck. News car burns in background as youths prepare to burn Houston police car on Fulton Street. They were ordered to take him to Ben Taub General Hospital, but instead of doing so, the officers brought him back to the banks of Buffalo Bayou and pushed him into the water. Officer Terry W. Denson, 27, is charged with murder in Torres' death. Facebook gives people the power to. "People rose-up and started throwing rocks and bottles at the police, overturning police cars and shouting 'Justice for Joe Torres' and 'Viva Joe Torres,'" Barthe said. Torres, a 23-year-old Mexican American and Vietnam War veteran, drowned . https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/31/archives/3-former-officers-sentenced-in-texas-each-to-serve-extra-day-for.html. The three foriner officers, Terry W. Denson, 27 years old, Stephen Orlando, 22, and Joseph J. Janish, 24, were convicted after a twoweek trial on two counts of violating the civil rights of the prisoner, Joe Campos Torres, a 23-yearold laborer whose body was found floating in Bffalo Bayou two days after the beating. Welcome! Watch: Astros SP Luis Garcia debuts new windup after rule changes, Oops! When the case was brought to federal court in February 1978, Denson, Orlando, and officer Joseph Janish were convicted of federal rights violations and were sentenced to one year in prison. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. Terry W Denson of Harris County, Texas was born c. 1950. info@texasarchive.org Assistant District Attorney Ted Poe talks about coordination between the District Attorney's Office and the grand jury. Following another beating, officers pushed Torres off a raised platform into Buffalo Bayou. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner apologized to the family of Joe Campos Torres for his death in 1977 in Houston police custody, calling it 'straight-up murder', Torres, a US Army Vietnam veteran, was 23 when he was arrested on May 5, 1977 for disorderly conduct at a bar, and beaten. Torres was allegedly beaten and then drowned by Houston police. Family members and friends of his are working to win approval of historical markers at Moody Park to commemorate Torres' death and the community's reaction. Divers were hoping to find a wallet belonging to Torres. The three former officers, Terry W. Denson, 29 years old, Joseph J. Janish, 25 and Stephen Orlando, 24, were found guilty in Judge Sterling's court last year of responsibility for the death by. October 7, 1977 Two former Houston policemen on trial for beating and drowning a Mexican-American prisoner in their custody last May were convicted by a jury today of misdemeanor charges that. "The environment that created the Torres case continues to exist," Garcia said, "and we can expect a continuation of the same kind of thing.". Looters struck the store during a riot that began at Moody Park. "No parade, no day of remembrance. Janie Torres is the sister of Jose "Joe" Campos Torres, who on May 5, 1977 was beaten and thrown into Buffalo Bayou by Houston police officers. Forty-five year struggle wins a bit of justice. On the one-year anniversary of Torres' death, the simmering social unrest erupted into riots. Terry Denson in Texas. If I didnt tell you that this story took place forty years ago, you might think it had just happened, Alonzo told me. On June 28, a Harris County grand jury indicted two of the officers, Terry Denson and Steven Orlando, for murder and a third, J. J. Janisch, for misdemeanor assault. By the time Torres arrived at the jail, authorities refused to book him due to the extent of his injuries. The case and its verdict outraged the local Mexican American community, sparking protests outside the Harris County Courthouse and police headquarters. Of the six, initially only officers Terry Denson and Steven Orlando were charged with murder. As news of the atrocity spread, Torress name became a rallying cry that united the citys Latino community in its search for justice. That trial took place in Huntsville, Tex., 70 miles north of Houston, because the defendants had said they could not get a fair trial in Houston. Hector J. Garcia of Houston, chairman of the Coalition for Responsible Law Enforcement, whose group has been meeting with police officials since last April, said violent police incidents here show no sign of abating. Three buildings in the shopping center were gutted by the fire. Many segments are silent and would have been voiced over by the anchorperson during a live broadcast. Two observers watch as Margaret Torres throws a wreath into Buffalo Bayou in memory of her son, Joe Campos Torres. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Testimony at the Federal trial alleged that Mr. Torres was beaten severely after his arrest and forced to jump into the bayou by Mr. Denson, who told the man he wanted to see if a wetback can swim. Mr. Torres was a native Houstonian and a Vietnam veteran. Poe served as a chief felony prosecutor for eight years before being appointed a state district judge in 1981. "Let's see if the wetback can swim." With those words, Officer. The Houston Police Department first arrested Phillips's replacement, a Security Guard Services, Inc. employee named Robert Taylor. 1977 - Joe Campos Torres -- his death triggered an outcry from the Mexican-American community about police brutality in Houston. Carless Elliott, the only rookie cop at the scene that night, later recalled in court the words of one of his fellow officers, the last words Torres must have heard before his body plunged into those dark waters: Lets see if this wetback can swim.. We can only hope that the next congressional delegation brings along Sessions so that he, too, can learn the story of Joe Campos Torres and Chief Caldwell. Join Facebook to connect with Terry Denson and others you may know. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. But the Chicano Squad moved mountains with the little resources they had. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. With limited resources and no prior detective training, they faced scrutiny from all sides. Jerry Click/ Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 35 of 56 Houston police officers administer first aid to Officer Tommy A. Britt, injured by a car that broke through a police line at Irvington . Above is the abstract of the item that you're interested in viewing from the Vanderbilt Television News Archive's collection. And to this day, Morales remains skeptical that the Chicano Squad was the answer. This edited footage from Houston's KPRC-TV follows the grand jury investigation into the death of Jos Campos Torres, a 23-year-old Mexican American and Vietnam War veteran. Rioters looted and set fire to a shopping center, and fifteen people were injured including five police officers and two news personnel. After learning of Mr. Torres's death, Carless Elliott, a 20yearold rookie police officer who witnessed the incident, reported what he had seen to his superiors. REPORTER: Dennis Murphy (KHOU-TV) Artist: Harris Milam. All six officers were found guilty of violating Torres' civil rights, and given a ten-year suspended sentence. The Killing of Jos Campos Torres. Houston Police Chief B. G. "Pappy" Bond holds a press conference in his office. Torres subsequently drowned. Unfortunately, Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III has made it clear he has no interest in putting federal pressure on local police departments that need reform. Though he served in that role for less than three years, Caldwell instituted key reforms that still exist today, such as HPD's first internal affairs department, HPD's first formal manual and the first liaisons to minority communities. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. 3908 Avenue B, Suite 105 Of the six, initially only officers Terry Denson and Steven Orlando were charged with murder. 3908 Avenue B, Suite 105 Officer Terry Denson came up with the idea: "Let's see if the wetback can swim," he said. The six arresting officers instead took him, once again, to The Hole. Sunday's formal apology comes after Finner and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner met privately with Torres' family over Memorial Day weekend, but wanted to make a public showingABC 13 reported. There, they brutally beat him for several hours. The Government appealed, arguing that probation was not permissible in cases where the possible penalty was life in prison, as it is in Federal civil rights cases in which the victim has died. Police officers seen outside emergency entrance of Memorial Hermann following the fatal shooting of an on-duty Houston Police Department officer Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, in Houston. The Torres case prompted the Houston Police Department to create its Internal Affairs Division in 1977. In 1978, the Cinco de Mayo celebrations at Moody Park erupted into riots. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Last month, members of Congress visited our city to learn about HPD's successful community programs. Calbillo is one of several people working to get a historical marker for Joe Campos Torres. | Houston firemen fight a blaze which was reportedly set by rioters in the 4400 block of Fulton. They're dead, Michael C. Ramsey, one of the defense lawyers, said of the Justice Department's appeal effort, which he termed frivolous. Mr. Ramsey said he considered today's sentences a victory for the additional reason that the three defendants would no longer have to face the five years probation originally imposed by the Judge. Rioters looted and set fire to a shopping center, and fifteen people were injured including five police officers and two news personnel. Following another beating, officers pushed Torres off a raised platform into Buffalo Bayou. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The officers involved were found guilty of negligent homicide and ultimately given a year and a day in prison for civil rights violations. Five of the officers were charged in the death, with two convicted of negligent homicide, and the other three convicted of violating Torres' civil rights. Terry Denson, 27; Stephen Orlando, 22, and Joseph J. Janish, 22 -- said they do not plan to appeal the . Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. Defense attorney Bob Bennett and his client, Terry Denson, exit the courtroom to deliver comments to the press. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanoron October 6. Attorneys for the three defendants said they would probably appeal the verdict. Any editing, reproduction, publication, rebroadcast, public showing or public display may be prohibited by copyright laws. Hernandez, Raymond Gonzalez, and Jose Selvera Jr. On top of their translating work in the field, the squad was also tasked with investigating 52 cases that experienced detectives on the force hadnt been able to crack. 1977, Houston Police officer Terry Denson yelled, "Let's see if this wetback can swim!" Denson, along with five other white policemen (Louis Kinney, Glen Brinkmeyer, Joseph Janish, Stephen Orlando, and Carless Elliot) had arrested Torres after responding to a complaint of a drunken Rather than taking him directly to the nearby jail, six responding Houston Police Department officers took a detour to a secluded spot near Buffalo Bayou that they called The Hole. 'My mother was never the same after Jose was killed,' his sister Janie Torres, who was 10 at the time her brother's death, said. The state granted immunity for two others, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, in exchange for their testimony. Bring on the Shiplap? Torres's body was found two days later. The three former officers are to be sentenced late next month. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Denson and Orlando were also convicted of assault and sentenced to nine months in prison. 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