Court Order, Family Feud Stops El Paso Funeral

Family and friends who gathered to say goodbye to an El Paso man killed in an Austin motorcycle crash never got the chance to do so Monday evening.

A court order signed by U.S. District Judge Bill Moody stopped the services before they could begin.

The issue: a family argument over where to bury the deceased.

David Torres, 44, died June 13 as he was leaving Austin following a bike run.

Monday evening, El Paso police officers blocked the entrance to the Mt. Carmel funeral home on N. Zaragoza. Dozens of mourners – many from the motorcycle community – stood outside, their arms folded in frustration.

“This is the first time I see anything like this,” said Michael Romero, a co-worker of Torres’ at Union Pacific Railroad. “Even the police officers told me they’ve never seen anything like this.”

Romero says Torres moved to the Sun City from Belen, New Mexico following a messy divorce a few years ago.

Sandra Luna is related to Torres’ new common-law wife, Liz. She told ABC-7 in the four years she knew him, Torres made it clear El Paso was his new home and the place he eventually wanted to be buried.

“We knew what he wanted,” she told ABC-7. “Liz knew what he wanted.”

But Torres’ family back in New Mexico – including his ex-wife who now resides in El Paso – said they want him buried in Belen, next to his mother.

“His two daughters want his remains in Belen, that’s where they’re from,” said Carolyn Mendoza, Torres’ ex-sister-in-law.

Mendoza said the New Mexico relatives were able to secure the order to stop the funeral because the court has yet to decide who is Torres’ actual next of kin, the family in Belen or the common-law-wife in El Paso.

Mendoza added the family tried to get the court order on Friday, but the County Courthouse was closed for the Juneteenth holiday.

“We never meant for this to happen,” she told ABC-7, referring to the friends and co-workers who gathered for Monday’s service only to be sent home.

Mendoza said both parties did reach a tentative agreement late Monday evening.

Torres will be buried in New Mexico but will still have services in El Paso.

Those services, however, can’t be scheduled until either Judge Moody or another District Judge reverses Monday’s court order.