HOUSTON – Forty-five years ago this week, the body of Joe Campos Torres was pulled from Buffalo Bayou.
Sandra Torres explained, “He was found on Mother’s Day.”
In a never before heard interview only on KPRC 2, the sister of Joe Campos Torres opened up about her brother’s murder 45 years later.
Torres, a Vietnam veteran, 23 at the time, was arrested at an East End bar for disorderly conduct. He was severely beaten by Houston Police Department officers and then tossed into the water.
In 1977, Sandra was 8-years-old.
“I was with my parents. We were at the movies, at the theatre,” said Torres.
This is when the family got the news that the body pulled from Buffalo Bayou was 23-year-old Vietnam Veteran Joe Campos Torres.
Known as the “Hole,” a spot along Buffalo Bayou in downtown Houston is the spot where Torres was beaten and dumped into the water by officers after he was arrested for disorderly conduct.
Torres added, “And then they said, ‘let’s see if this *** **** could swim?!’ My brother needed care, he fought for his country, and look what they did to him.”
Two arresting officers were charged with Torres’ murder. Both were found guilty of negligent homicide. An all-white jury sentenced the officers: One-year probation and $1 in fines.
“So that’s what my brother’s life was worth, $1?” questioned Torres.
Three other HPD officers were fired from the force, but not charged.
Torres explained she did not live in fear but was fearful as she got older because of what happened to her brother, at the hands of the police. But she does not resent the police. “No, no. I mean what good does it do?”
A photo taken months after the murder hangs in the Torres home today. It shows Margaret Torres, Joe and Sandra’s mother speaking at a protest. In the crowd, Sandra.
One year after Torres’ murder, a riot broke out at Moody Park. Four police officers and two BIG 2 News reporters were hurt. KPRC 2 photojournalist Jack Cato was stabbed while covering the riot. His reporter, Phil Archer, was also hurt.
“We were surrounded by the contingent of the crowd. At one point, someone grabbed the cable, attached to my camera and yanked it off my shoulder. I managed to say, ‘Stop that, you can’t do that,’ and I caught a brick in the face and I was out from then on,” Archer said.
While Archer was unconscious, he was stabbed in the abdomen. He came to as he was receiving aid.
“I was lucky, my leg is still numb,” explained Archer, who elaborated about this being one of the biggest stories of his career. “Yes, I would have to say that because we became the story.”
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In June of 2021, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner apologized to the Torres family, calling Joe’s killing, “straight-up murder.”
Torres said she believes her brother’s case has changed police relations within communities.
“I could say a little, a little,” she said.
In April of this year, the City of Houston unveiled Joe Campos Torres Memorial Plaza. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said, “His life mattered, and our city will never let something like this happen again.”
“It means a lot, a lot, a lot; but years later, all these years later. All these years later. I always wonder what life would be like? How would it be? If we had our brother here? If my mom had her son, how would life be?” questioned Torres.
Since Torres’ case captivated headlines in 1977, there have been hundreds of more victims of police brutality.
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“When I see loved ones lose their family members, in the hands of police, yes, it brings back memories. We know that feeling, we know how it feels, especially for the parents like my mom, it is hard,” said Torres.
Margaret Torres will turn 88 this year. Sandra said her faith is what gets her through. Of Margaret’s nine children, six of them, including Joe, have passed away.