West Palm Beach mom accused of helping son, friend in jewelry ... - WPEC
A 66-year-old woman was arrested for her alleged role in a jewelry heist scheme in April, West Palm Beach police said.
Delia Torres is accused of helping her jailed son and a friend trick and steal $30,000 worth of jewelry from a man she knew from church, according to police, based on a series of jail phone calls she made to her son.
Officers responded to 1310 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard April 21 for a reported carjacking just after 8 p.m., arrest reports show. Officers found the victim with a deep cut on the side of his head and a possible concussion.
The victim came to the address to meet with Torres and her friend, Carmen Pena, for a scheduled visit to sell several pieces of jewelry, police said. While all three of them sat at the patio table, Torres' son, Eliot "Elio" Valdez, approached him from behind and put a gun to his back, demanding the victim to give him the bag full of jewelry.
When the victim turned around, he tried to grab the gun, but ended up pushing Valdez so that they both fell onto the ground, according to police. Valdez grabbed a hold of the gun and pistol whipped the victim while he was still on the ground.
As the victim stood up, Valdez pointed the gun at him, police said. But one of the women said, "Don't kill him."
Torres, Valdez and Pena then fled in Torres' car, according to police. When Pena later told officers what happened, she was "visibly distraught" while Torres seemed "unemotional and distant."
Valdez was arrested April 28 for pistol-whipping and stealing jewelry from the victim, police said. Pena was arrested on April 25 for pawning the stolen jewelry.
While in jail, Valdez and Pena made 166 phone calls from the Palm Beach County Jail, including to Torres, according to police. During one of those calls, Valdez told Torres to get rid of the gun used in the robbery.
Torres was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on Tuesday, where she is being held on a $70,000 bond.
