By Sarah Schulz
sarah.schulz@theindependent.com

Marco E. Torres Jr., 32, of Pasadena, Texas, was sentenced by Hall County District Judge James Livingston to 25 to 40 years in prison for kidnapping; 25 to 40 years in prison for using a handgun to commit the kidnapping; 20 to 30 years in prison for robbery; and 20 to 30 years in prison for using a handgun to commit the robbery. The sentences will be served one after the other.

Torres was convicted in November 2007 by a jury for the Feb. 13, 2007, incident.

During the trial, witnesses described how Torres abducted William "Billy" Packer with a pistol, took him to a home at 1208 S. Adams St., ordered him to be taped up and stole about $800 before releasing him.

Packer reported the kidnapping during the investigation of a double homicide that occurred at the same home in March 2007.

Torres, who was arrested March 26, 2007, in Houston, is awaiting trial on two counts of first-degree murder, one count of robbery, one count of the unauthorized use of a debit card, and three counts of using a gun to commit a felony for the deaths of Edward Hall, 60, and Timothy Donohue, 48. Both men were shot multiple times and Hall was asphyxiated. The bodies were found at 1208 S. Adams St., which was Hall's home.

The residence was burned down by Grand Island firefighters in September 2007 after being used for training exercises.

Torres' attorney in the kidnapping case, James Mowbray of the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy, wasn't immediately available for comment Thursday. He had been Torres' attorney in the homicide case as well, but his office withdrew. Oakland attorney Clarence Mock has been appointed to take the case over.

Mock said in January he would be filing a motion to delay the trial, which was slated to begin March 10 in Hall County District Court.

Hall County Attorney Mark Young wouldn't comment on the sentence, but he did say the double-homicide trial has been continued to Nov. 3.

If convicted in the double-homicide case, Torres could face the death penalty due to four aggravating circumstances. According to court documents, those circumstances are: the murders were committed in an effort to conceal a crime or the perpetrator's identity, the two murders were committed at the same time, the murders were especially heinous or involved exceptional depravity, and the offender has a substantial prior history of serious assaults or terrorizing criminal activity.