Torres' father says he urged him to give himself up

Noe Torres is a son who found God in Mexico but refused advice to face his problems, his father Lucio Torres said Tuesday.

The elder Torres, a truck driver living in Dimmitt, Texas, said he and his son kept in touch via text messages almost from the time Noe Torres fled Clovis six years ago. He said his son sent him a text two days before his capture in Mexico saying that he was involved with the church.

"In the last four or five years," said Lucio Torres, "he's been involved with the church. His texts are always about Jesus and most of it is from the Bible.

"I always tell him this. The same thing. It's good to do that. Give yourself up. You have to face your problems and do the right thing."

Torres said his son maintained his innocence in the shooting death of 10-year-old Carlos Perez. He also said Noe Torres sent a text to his mother on Jan. 25, the day he was captured in Chihuahua and she relayed the text to him.

"I wish he had listened to me. I would tell him always, give yourself up," said Lucio Torres. "I know now it's going to be worse for him."