Inset: Francisco Torres-Rodriguez (Canyon County Jail). Background: Canyon County Jail (Google Maps).
A man in Idaho will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing his wife after she informed him that she wanted to end their relationship, staging the scene to make it appear as if she killed herself, and then manipulating their daughter into discovering her body.
A jury in Canyon County on Friday found Francisco Torres-Rodriguez guilty on one count of first-degree murder in the slaying of Reyna Quintero, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
The fatal shooting took place at the couple’s home on Sept. 3, 2023, according to a report from Boise NBC affiliate KTVB.
In court documents obtained by the station, prosecutors said that Quintero was at the home preparing to go out for the evening with some of her friends when Torres-Rodriguez shot her in the head. He was reportedly motivated to kill his wife after learning that she wanted to end their marriage.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, security camera footage played for jurors reportedly showed Torres-Rodriguez going outside the home where exhibited an “odd demeanor” and smoked a cigarette instead of calling 911 and seeking help for his wife. He then managed to have his daughter find Quintero’s body. The daughter’s age was not immediately clear.
During the trial, Deputy County Prosecutor Stephanie Morse told jurors that Torres-Rodriguez deserved the mandatory life sentence state law requires for individuals convicted of first-degree murder.
“He earned the verdict you are about to deliver when he decided Reyna’s life was expendable,” Morse said. “He earned it when he jammed the gun into her head. He earned it with his utter disregard for life.”
In a statement to Boise CBS affiliate KBOI, Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Boyd praised the conviction.
“I am so proud of our prosecution team, and so thankful to our law enforcement partners at the Caldwell Police Department. Domestic Violence is a tragic and persistent problem in our country, and many of these homicides are hidden by the perpetrators,” he said. “This conviction sends a strong message to potential perpetrators in Canyon County: You will not get away with it.”
