BEAUMONT, Texas — The intoxication manslaughter trial for a Port Arthur man accused of hitting and killing beloved Beaumont Police Officer Sheena Yarbrough-Powell resumed Thursday with several witnesses taking the stand for day three of testimony.
Luis Torres, 20, is charged with intoxication manslaughter. Torres is accused of driving drunk and hitting Officer Yarbrough-Powell and her partner, Officer Gabriel Fells, on August 9, 2020, on Cardinal Drive.
Police said Torres hit the unit head-on with the two officers inside while he was driving the wrong way on U.S. Highway 69.
Torres was 18 years old when the deadly crash took place. According to a probable cause affidavit, his blood alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit.
Torres initially pleaded guilty in April and was set to be sentenced on Monday, May 23, 2022. Torres withdrew his guilty plea the day he was set to be sentenced, opting to go to trial instead.
The reason for the withdrawal is unknown.
If Torres is convicted, he could face anywhere from five to 99 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
On Thursday, Beaumont Police Department Crime Scene Technician Michelle Ceja was the first to take the stand. Jury members were shown evidence of photos Ceja took the night Officer Yarbrough-Powell died.
Jury members were shown photos of the defendant and his injuries taken on site along with the damaged vehicles.
Related: 18-year-old indicted for intoxication manslaughter in crash that killed Beaumont Police officer
One of the jury members wiped her eyes with a handkerchief as photos of the deceased officer were displayed on the monitor.
Defense Attorney Tom Burbank in cross-examination only asked the technician if she saw DPS taking photos at the scene and if she had gone anywhere else to collect evidence. She answered no to both questions.
The second witness called to the stand testified that she was having a family get-together the night of the crash and that Torres went to her apartment.
She said Torres did drink a beer at her residence, but she didn't know he was underage at the time.
She testified that he dropped a beer at the gathering, but he cleaned it up. At one point, he sat on a flowerpot and it fell to the floor, which led her to believe he was intoxicated.
The witness said she was worried about Torres leaving, so she told him he could sleep on the couch, but he refused the offer.
She testified that Torres texted someone at the party that he had been drinking before he arrived.
Defense attorney Burbank asked her how many people were at the party when he showed up, and the witness listed four people. She also confirmed to Burbank that Torres sipped on the beer, and didn't guzzle it.
Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Kasey Carrier was the third witness to be called to the stand.
Trooper Carrier described the process of making a probable cause affidavit and how the process of charging a suspect works.
He said after he spells out why a person should be arrested, a judge makes the decision if the arrest should take place. He described how DPS gets a warrant to get a blood sample.
The witness testified that he went to St. Elizabeth Hospital the night of the crash and instructed a registered nurse to do a blood draw on Torres.
Trooper Carrier testified that Torres knew and acknowledged why the trooper was there to begin with.
The fourth witness called to the stand was St. Elizabeth Registered Nurse Ronnie Hamilton.
She described the process of taking a blood draw and testified that she made sure she saw the warrant for a blood draw from the trooper and asked Torres if he approved.
“I like to hear it from the patient himself,” she said in testimony.
The next witness was Texas DPS Trooper Francisco Rangel, who is stationed in Nacogdoches.
He was questioned about the day he took the blood sample kit and its contents to the lab in Houston and testified that he didn’t tamper with it.
The court took a drastic, emotional turn when Forensic Pathology Specialist Dr. Ray Fernandez took the stand.
Dr. Fernandez said Officer Yarbrough-Powell suffered multiple fractures to her skull.
Prior to showing photos, Officer Yarbrough-Powell's family was asked to step out. The judge said the court of appeals would not allow autopsy pictures because the pictures are gruesome and the body is mutilated.
Only some photos were shown. There was a photo of the officer's face with abrasions on her nose, teeth, scalp and more.
The images also displayed Officer Yarbrough-Powell with lacerations on her hands and injuries to her legs.
Dr. Fernandez only showed images that were allowed by the judge.
12News crew at the court said officers on the other side of the room that knew Officer Yarbrough-Powell had their heads down, as the images were hard for them to see.
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