COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — Prosecutors have charged Raul Molina, 21, in the brutal 2011 murder of 25-year-old Renee Torres in Little Village.
Torres and another man were walking through a bank parking lot in the 4000 block of West 25th Place about 9:10 p.m. on Jan. 27, 2011, when two men in a car attacked them, Assistant State's Attorney Sarah Karr said during a bond hearing Wednesday.
The car's passenger, who police identified as Molina, of south suburban Danville, rolled down his window and pointed a gun at Torres and the other victim, who tried to hide behind a sign, Karr said.
The driver — John Ortega, 17 at the time, who was previously convicted in this case and sentenced to 38 years in prison — accelerated his car, striking Torres, who rolled under the vehicle, prosecutors said.
Torres got stuck under the car, according to Karr, and Ortega tried to free his vehicle by revving up and rocking back and forth. He and Molina eventually gave up and ran away on foot, Karr added.
Ortega was charged later that year and convicted of murder. He's currently serving a 38-year sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Molina was arrested this week in prison, where he's currently serving an eight-year sentence for armed robbery. Police were able to match Molina's DNA to a knit cap he left behind in the car, Karr said. The second victim also positively identified Molina as the passenger.
It's unclear why there was such a delay in charging Molina.
Molina was charged with first-degree murder. Cook County Judge Donald Panarese Jr. on Wednesday ordered him held in lieu of $1.5 million bail.
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