Local authorities say an Amarillo man now faces murder charges after investigators uncovered the body of a 31‑year‑old woman buried behind a residential garage.
Police booked 48‑year‑old Leonard Torres into the Potter County Detention Center without bond, linking him to the death of Faith Smith.
The case opened earlier this month after the Amarillo Police Department received a tip that Smith had been shot and hidden at an unknown spot. Detectives interviewed witnesses who confirmed the story, prompting investigators to conclude the shooting occurred inside a car on Sept. 27.
Officers traced the suspect vehicle to the Rama Motel on East Amarillo Boulevard. After obtaining a warrant, they followed Torres as he left the motel and pulled into a nearby convenience store. When officers attempted a traffic stop for an illegal turn, Torres briefly fled before a patrol cruiser cut him off, the KVII arrest report reveals.
Initially, Torres faced charges for evading arrest with a vehicle and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
After the arrest, investigators pinpointed the makeshift grave. A search of a property on Orange Street revealed Smith’s body buried behind a detached garage under construction.
A criminal complaint obtained by KVII shows Torres telling investigators he shot Smith in the head, insisting the discharge was accidental, and admitting he buried her at the Orange Street site.
The complaint further details that Torres and Smith rode in the backseat of a car driven by a confidential informant on the day of the shooting. According to the informant, after the gunfire, Torres moved Smith’s body to the garage, brandished a handgun at the driver, and threatened to kill the driver and their family if they talked to police.
Torres now confronts a murder count in addition to his earlier charges and remains in custody while the case proceeds.
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