Torres aims for new life outside prison

Torres aims for new life outside prison

by Patsy R. Brumfield | NEMS Daily Journal

Marainna Torres gets out of prison today, a young woman with a damaged past but with hopes for a better life.

This morning, the Mississippi Department of Corrections scheduled her release from Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, where she served out her five-year sentence in the manslaughter death of her 2-year-old stepsister.

“I’m excited and a little nervous,” Torres told the Daily Journal last week when she got news of her release date.

The former Union County school girl said she hopes to get a job and continue her education. She earned her high-school equivalency diploma while she was in CMCF.

Torres, now 20, pleaded guilty in July 2008 to the death of her adopted sister, Ena.

Torres said her mother and stepfather, Janet and Ramon Barreto, forced her to quit school and care for half a dozen infants and young children.

She told law enforcement officials that she just “blew up” and threw the child across a room into her crib after her mother told her to punish the child for crying.

The Barretos escaped house arrest in May 2009 and remain out of law enforcement’s reach. Some investigators say they believe the couple is in Mexico, where Ramon has family.

Meanwhile, Torres is signed up to live with her father in New Albany as she seeks to put her life back together.

Monday, her friend and former teacher, Aloydia Cruz of Myrtle, said she planned to retrieve Torres at the prison early today and drive her back to north Mississippi.

Torres will be on probation under the MDOC’s supervision for several months.

patsy.brumfield@journalinc.com