Mistrial declared for Bella Vista man convicted of killing 6-year-old son

(AP) A mistrial has been declared for a man from Bella Vista, Arkansas, who is convicted of killing his 6-year-old son by sexually assaulting the child with a stick. KHOG-TV reports that the mistrial for Mauricio Torres was declared Thursday after Torres’ stepson, Quentin Martin, jumped up from the witness stand where he was testifying and charged at Torres after a prosecutor asked if Torres had sexually abused him.

Torres was found guilty Wednesday of capital murder and battery in Isaiah Torres’ death. Investigators say Torres sexually assaulted Isaiah with a stick while camping in Missouri in 2015. The boy died at an Arkansas hospital a day later.

Torres faced death or life in prison without parole. A judge will decide March 19 whether or not Torres will get a new trial.

Torres was convicted and sentenced to death in 2016, but the Arkansas Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 2019.