A Mercer County grand jury returned an indictment on Wednesday charging a Hamilton man with the murder his girlfriend and her dog, according to Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri.
Daniel Torres Jr., 39, of South Olden Avenue, Hamilton, was indicted on charges of first-degree murder, possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, animal cruelty, prohibited weapons and devices, and second-degree certain persons not to possess a firearm.
At approximately 6:05 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 13, Hamilton police were dispatched to an apartment in the 800 block of South Olden Avenue after receiving a call from a man stating he shot his girlfriend, Onofri said in a statement that. Upon arrival, officers heard a gunshot come from the second floor apartment.
They forced entry, encountered Torres in the apartment and detained him. As police searched the apartment further, officers discovered the victim, 31-year-old Jennifer Beer, on the floor of the bedroom suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene. A deceased dog was also discovered in the bedroom in close proximity to Beer.
The charges are the result of an investigation by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Hamilton Police Division. Torres remains in the Mercer County Correction Center.
