Slaying Victim Identified

Authorities Sunday identified a man slain by robbers on Mulholland Drive as Dario Torres, a college student studying for a broadcasting career.

Torres, 32, of Burbank, and an unidentified female companion had parked on a scenic portion of Mulholland between Coldwater Canyon Drive and Laurel Canyon Boulevard early Saturday morning when two robbers approached, police said. One of the men fired at the couple, hitting Torres as he tried to drive away.

Torres’ Jeep Cherokee plunged 170 feet off a cliff, injuring the female passenger, who used a car phone to summon help. Police declined to identify the woman with Torres in an effort to protect her.

A detective from the Los Angeles Police Department’s robbery-homicide unit said no suspects have been identified and it is unclear what the robbers wanted to steal. Torres’ wife, Judy, said she believes the gunmen may have been after the family’s new Jeep, which they had purchased following the birth of their daughter.

“His daughter was his pride and joy,” said a tearful Judy Torres in an interview. “Dario was a good father and he was loved by everyone.”

Torres said she and her husband moved to Burbank about a year ago and he had been attending a local college, where he was studying to become a television broadcaster. To help support the family, Dario, a former Army corporal, worked at an armored car company.

In an apparently unrelated incident, police investigating the Torres case discovered a body in a copper-colored Mercedes about a mile away. An official with the county coroner’s office said Sunday the agency will use dental records to identify the body.