Manslaughter trial starts for accused BPD killer

  • Luis Torres, 20, of Port Arthur
    Luis Torres, 20, of Port Arthur
  • BPD Officer Sheena Yarbrough-Powell was 23 when she was killed on duty
    BPD Officer Sheena Yarbrough-Powell was 23 when she was killed on duty

Nearly two years after investigators say an intoxicated 18-year-old motorist killed a Beaumont police officer while driving his Mustang down the wrong lane of Highway 69, the Port Arthur man’s intoxication manslaughter trial is slated to begin Tuesday, April 19. 

Luis Fernando Torres, now 20, was arrested four days after the incident took place around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, according to previous reporting by The Examiner.

Beaumont Police Department (BPD) officers Sheena Yarbrough-Powell, 23, and Gabriel Fells, then 28, were traveling north on Cardinal Drive when they were struck head on by Torres’ blue 2006 Mustang. A DPS report revealed Torres’ BAC to be three times the legal limit immediately after the crash. 

According to information from Criminal District Judge John Stevens court, the trial is set to begin April 19, and Torres could face up to 99 years in prison. For more on the story, pickup a copy of The Examiner April 21.