Abiud Torres: Man arrested 2 months after he fatally shot GF as her son 'heard it happen' from the other room
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: After spending nearly two months on the run, a man, who was wanted for fatally shooting his girlfriend in front of her 11-year-old son, was apprehended in an abandoned Philadelphia home.
Adiud Torres was apprehended, and the US Marshals Office in Philadelphia made the announcement on social media on Thursday, February 22.
They discovered him around 6:45 am only a few blocks from the scene of the murder on Hart Lane in the Kensington neighborhood.
$20,000 reward declared for Adiud Torres' apprehension in January
Adiud Torres complied with the authorities and was apprehended without any problems, according to the marshals service. Torres allegedly "shot his girlfriend in front of her 11-year-old son and then fled the scene" on December 23, 2023, according to marshals.
According to Philadelphia police, Tatiana Vargas, 35, was killed near the 3100 block of Hartville Street in Kensington. A $20,000 reward for Torres's apprehension was declared at the beginning of January 2024.
Although marshals stated that "investigators developed information Torres may be frequenting multiple abandoned residences in the Kensington section of Philadelphia," it was unclear at first whether the reward had any role in his arrest.
Tatiana's father Joey Vargas stated to NBC10 in the days following the murder that he had forewarned his daughter about Torres prior to her passing.
"She told me little stuff, and like I said, I'm a guy from North Philadelphia and I told her 'He's no good,'" the father of the victim said. "You've just heard the slang term, 'he's no good. He and I never met. He's not someone I know."
After knowing that Vargas was shot and killed, it was discovered out that the couple had only been dating for about two months.
Abiud Torres allegedly engaged in violent altercation
The victim's father mentioned that Vargas and Torres were fighting "like they always did" when the son heard a gunshot on the night of the killing. This information was relayed to the elder Vargas by his 11-year-old grandson.
The victim's family claimed to NBC10 that Vargas was shot in the shoulder and that Torres ran off after briefly staying to cry over her.
"Whoever's hiding you or whatever they doing, [it's] just making things worse, because this guy can kill your sister, your mother even your own son, you never know," said Tatiana's father.
“Abiud Torres committed a senseless, tragic crime, against a woman who had her whole life ahead of her," US Supervisory Deputy Marshal Robert Clark said.
"I am hoping this arrest can bring some closure to the Vargas family and all who knew Tatiana Vargas," Clark said.
Marshals said that Torres was turned over to homicide detectives in Philadelphia. Nothing in the court system on Thursday could have pointed to an attorney who could speak for Torres.
