Victim's boyfriend, daughter testify in murder trial of her estranged husband

Vilet Torrez's brother also takes stand Friday

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Vilet Torrez's boyfriend and family members testified Friday in the murder trial of the woman's estranged husband.

Torrez's boyfriend, Zoe Rodriguez, was the last person who saw her alive early March 31, 2012.

Rodriguez told jurors that he was concerned about his relationship with Vilet Torrez because she still lived with Cid Torrez. He also described a phone call with Cid Torrez, where he said he felt threatened by the defendant because he was told to stop his relationship with Vilet Torrez. 

"It got heated and I said, 'Listen, let me explain something to you. I am not 115 pounds. You're not going to be able to bully me like you bullied her,'" Rodriguez said.

Vilet Torrez's boyfriend said the defendant warned him that he "did not know what kind of person he could be and what he could to me and to her -- the actions that can become of it."

When pressed about why he didn't call police about her disappearance, Rodriguez said he thought he could handle it on his own.

Vilet Torrez's brother and her daughter also took the stand. 

Javier Blanco was emotional as he recounted the events leading up to his sister's disappearance.

He said his family knew the marriage was troubled and was going south.

"It was as close as you can get with two professionals with a life and kids and careers. I was extremely close with her," Blanco said.

Police said Vilet Torrez was last seen on surveillance video driving into her gated community at 5:17 a.m. March 31, 2012, after a night out with her boyfriend.

Detectives said Cid Torrez admitted to taking their children back to the house about midnight and said that his soon-to-be ex-wife wasn't there.

He said the last time he saw her was when he picked up their children that afternoon.

However, prosecutors said the former couple's oldest daughter said she woke up that morning and heard someone crying and her father saying, "No, you wake up, you wake up."

Vilet Torrez Jr. said she went back to sleep. She identified a bloodied towel as belonging to her mother.

The teen told jurors that the next time she saw her father, his clothes were dirty, he looked disheveled and he was a nervous wreck. 

She said he had dropped her and her siblings off at their grandparents' house when they woke up and went missing for hours.

"He looked disheveled, nervous, worried, rushed. His clothes looked dirty," she said.

Cid Torrez showed no emotion during his daughter's testimony.  

Detectives said two cadaver dogs detected the odor of human remains in the trunk and backseat of Cid Torrez's car and at the couple's home.

Police said Cid Torrez's co-worker told them the defendant believed his wife had cheated on him and used a program to monitor her cellphone.

A neighbor also said he saw Cid Torrez parked in various areas of their complex after he and his wife were separated.

The defense maintains that evidence in the case only proves that Vilet Torrez is missing.

Authorities believe she is dead, although her body has never been found.

Cid Torrez, faces up to life in prison if he is convicted of murder.


About the Authors:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.