Nature of Incident: Arrest Made in Jail Homicide Investigation
Report Number: 18-167811
Location: Pre-Trial Detention Facility; 800 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura
Date & Time: November 3, 2018 @ 1:20 PM
Unit(s) Responsible: Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau, PTDF Classification Unit, PTDF Legal Unit, Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office
(V) Michael Larios Torres, Oxnard, CA, 61
(S) Vu Cong Dao, Palmdale, CA, 35
Narrative:
On October 25, 2018, deputies at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility (PTDF) found Michael Torres unresponsive inside his cell. Emergency aid was immediately rendered, but Mr. Torres was ultimately pronounced deceased at the scene. The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Mr. Torres’ death was caused by blunt force trauma and neck compression.
Investigators concluded that Mr. Torres died as a result of injuries he received from being assaulted by his cellmate, Vu Cong Dao. The incident took place inside their cell shortly before deputies discovered Mr. Torres had been assaulted. At that time, Mr. Dao was in custody for one felony count of burglary and one misdemeanor count of vandalism.
On November 3, 2018, Mr. Dao was arrested at the PTDF for a violation of California Penal Code section 187(a) – Murder. Mr. Dao remains in custody with his bail set at $2,000,000.00. He is scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on November 6, 2018. As a matter of policy, the cause of any death within a jail facility is investigated by the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau.
Prepared by: Sgt. Ron Chips
News Release Date: November 5, 2018
Media Follow-Up Contact: Sergeant Eric Buschow, (805) 947-8129; Eric.Buschow@ventura.org
Approved By: Captain Jeff Miller
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