Mesa Driver Charged With Second-Degree Murder in Fatal Crash

Driver Arrested After Deadly Single-Vehicle Crash in Mesa

Mesa police arrested 22-year-old Isaiah Torres on Tuesday in connection with a fatal single-vehicle collision that occurred earlier this year near Val Vista Drive and Pueblo Avenue in Mesa, Arizona.

Authorities took Torres into custody after a grand jury indicted him on a charge of second-degree murder related to the crash. He is also accused of criminal damage. The collision involved a Kia Sorrento that Torres was driving at the time of the incident.

Details of the August Collision

According to Mesa police, officers responded at approximately 7:20 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30, to reports of a single-vehicle crash near the intersection of Val Vista Drive and Pueblo Avenue, south of Broadway Road. Investigators report that the Kia Sorrento driven by Torres struck a cinder block wall, causing debris from the wall to fly into a nearby homeowner’s window.

Witnesses told authorities that Torres was speeding and weaving in and out of traffic prior to the collision. Police later confirmed that no one inside the affected house was injured despite the debris entering through the window.

Passenger Dies After Being Taken to Hospital

Following the crash, emergency responders transported Torres and his passenger, identified as 21-year-old Marcella Manuel, to a hospital. Mesa police state that Manuel later died from injuries sustained in the collision. Torres survived the crash and was subsequently the focus of a criminal investigation.

Family members identified Torres as Manuel’s ex-boyfriend. They also stated that Manuel had recently graduated and purchased a home prior to the incident.

DUI Investigation and Charges

Authorities initiated a DUI investigation at the scene and reported that they found sufficient evidence to support Torres’s arrest on allegations of second-degree murder and criminal damage. The grand jury indictment led to the issuance of a warrant, and Mesa police arrested Torres on that warrant on Tuesday.

Police records confirm that the fatal crash, the subsequent investigation, and the grand jury indictment are the basis for the current charges against Torres in connection with Manuel’s death and the property damage caused by the vehicle striking the cinder block wall.