Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that a jury has found 45-year-old Raphael Torres of Buffalo guilty, as charged, of one count of Robbery in the Second Degree, a Class “C” violent felony, and two counts of Robbery in the Third Degree, Class “D” felonies. The defendant was found guilty on Friday, March 22, 2019 following a 6-day jury trial.

On March 2, 2018, at approximately 9:05 a.m., the victim was driving to work in a minivan when she stopped at a traffic light on Fulton and Smith Streets in the City of Buffalo. The defendant, the victim’s estranged husband, approached and began banging on the vehicle with an ice pick. The victim attempted to lock the doors, but the defendant was able to open the minivan’s rear door. The defendant unlocked the driver’s door, pulled the victim out of the vehicle by her hair and threw her to the ground. The defendant repeatedly punched and kicked the victim. After he ripped the victim’s purse from her hands, the defendant fled in her vehicle. The victim and several witnesses called 911 to report the crime.

The following day, at approximately 3:35 p.m., the defendant robbed a second victim outside of a store on Bailey Avenue and Broadway. The defendant approached the female victim from behind, grabbed her purse and fled in the same minivan. The victim noted the license plate number and called 911.

A few hours later, officers observed a minivan matching the description of the suspect vehicle on the corner of Fillmore Avenue and Broadway. When officers attempted to perform a traffic stop, the defendant ran off, but he was apprehended after a brief foot chase. The defendant was found with bank cards from the second robbery in his pockets.  

Torres, who has multiple prior felony convictions, faces a maximum of 21 years in prison when he is sentenced by Erie County Court Judge Suzanne Maxwell Barnes on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 at 2 p.m.

DA Flynn commends the Buffalo Police Department for their work in the investigation, including Detective James McMahon, Officer William Hoffstetter, and Officer Joseph Petronella.

The case was prosecuted by Chief Holly P. Tucker and Assistant District Attorney Stephen C. Earnhart of the DA’s Domestic Violence Bureau.