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From http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203~21481~2986160,00.html

DA says man used martial arts move to kill lover's husband

By Rod Leveque
Staff Writer

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A trained martial artist used an unbreakable chokehold to murder his lover's husband so he could be with the man's wife and live off her million-dollar life insurance payout, a prosecutor told jurors Thursday.

Rafiel Torre first offered a friend $10,000 to kill 32-year-old Bryan Richards, the prosecutor said during opening statements of Torre's murder trial in West Valley Superior Court. When that plan didn't pan out, Torre snuffed out Richards himself using a Brazilian Jujitsu move he learned as a professional cage fighter, the prosecutor said.

"It's one of the most simple and one of the most important tools for a martial artist," Deputy District Attorney Kent Williams told jurors.

Richards was found strangled and underneath sheets of plastic in the bed of his pickup truck Dec. 22, 2001. The truck was parked, unlocked, in a corner of the lot outside the Albertsons supermarket at Foothill Boulevard and Vineyard Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga.

Torre, 40, who is famous in the martial arts subculture as a fighter and journalist, has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.

His attorney, Anthony Robusto, did not make an opening statement Thursday, reserving his speaking time for later in the trial.

Torre was not arrested until nearly two years after Richards' death, when another professional fighter called police with explosive details that broke open the case. That man, Gerald Strebendt, will take the witness stand in Torre's trial as a key prosecution witness, Williams told jurors Thursday.

Strebendt, a former Marine, is expected to testify that Torre offered him $10,000 to murder Richards in September 2001. Strebendt refused, Williams said.

"The thought of killing an innocent civilian was repulsive to him, as it would be to any of us," Williams said.
Strebendt met with Torre again several days after the killing, this time outside an Orange County strip club. There, Torre told Strebendt he killed Richards using a chokehold known as the "lion killer," but claimed it was self defense, Williams told jurors.
"He wanted Gerald to be his alibi," Williams said. "Gerald said, "No way, can't do it.'"

Strebendt came forward to detectives with the story more than a year later when, in a crisis of conscience, he feared Torre would escape justice, Williams said.

Other witnesses prosecutors plan to call during the trial include people who saw the affair between Torre and Richards' wife, Angelina, escalate before Richards' death.
Richards' siblings and parents will also testify. They grew suspicious of Torre and Angelina Richards soon after Richards disappeared.

Richards' brother, Keith, will testify that he saw a copy of his brother's life insurance policy on Angelina Richards' kitchen table within a few hours of Bryan's disappearance.

Williams told jurors that after Richards' death, Torre moved in with Angelina Richards. The woman either sold or trashed Richards' things, removed all but two of his photos from the house, and left his cremated ashes in a utility drawer in the garage, Williams said.

Angelina Richards has not been charged with any crimes.
Testimony in Torre's trial will begin Monday.

Rod Leveque can be reached by e-mail at r_leveque@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-9325.

posted by Rainbowthief 5:41 AM

Sunday, July 31, 2005

Rafiel Torre murder trial update!

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