Leslie Torres

Leslie Torres (born March 5, 1970) is an American spree killer who, in the period from January 1 to 8, 1988, attacked 11 people in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. Five people died from the attacks and six were left severely injured. He later turned himself in and confessed to the crimes, of which he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

At the time of the crimes, Torres was 17 years old, making him one of the youngest recorded spree killers in North American history.

Early life and education Leslie Torres was born on April 12, 1970, in New York City to Puerto Rican parents. Until 1977, he lived with his parents in East Harlem, where the largest Hispanic diaspora lived in the city, but after they divorced, Torres moved with his mother to Puerto Rico. They lived in an area plagued by poverty and crime, which affected the Torreses.

In the mid-1980s, Torres lost interest in studying and began to spend most of his time on the streets, where he began to drink alcohol and use drugs. He was eventually kicked out of school and left Puerto Rico in the summer of 1987, returning to New York City, where his father lived. He continued to abuse drugs and developed an addiction to crack cocaine that eventually resulted in him leaving his father's house and living on the streets. By that time, the cost of crack cocaine had reached from $300 to $500, due to which Torres decided to start robbing people to fund his habits.

Murders On January 1, 1988, Torres entered a store in East Harlem and robbed two men at gunpoint. After they gave him their money, Torres fired several shots from his .22 caliber revolver at them - the first received a severe gunshot wound to the chest, while the second injured his wrist, but both survived. Half an hour later, Torres attacked a 38-year-old woman in another district, wounding her in the arm and buttocks, but she also survived. Another half hour later, Torres confronted 62-year-old Horatio Rivera and shot him twice in the head, killing him. Later that same evening, he committed another robbery, but nobody was harmed on this occasion. In total, he managed to steal only 28 dollars.

On the afternoon of January 2, Torres committed three robberies in the East Harlem area. In the first case, he robbed a furniture store, but caused no serious harm to anyone. He then went to another store, where he shot and killed the store owner, 40-year-old Ecuadorian immigrant Milton Ronquillo. On the late evening on the following day, Torres robbed another grocery store in East Harlem, where he shot and killed the clerk, Jesus Rivera, by shooting him once in the head. He then stole a small amount of cash and a portable radio. Not only that, but eleven witnesses also positively identified him as the shooter when presented with photographs of potential suspects. He is currently incarcerated at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora.