Testimony begins in the trial of two defendants who killed a man outside Perris

RIVERSIDE, CA – Prosecution testimony began Wednesday in the trial of two brothers accused of killing a man, robbing the victim's boyfriend and beating and robbing another man nearby during an attempted robbery outside a Perris supermarket to have.

Bryan Ortega, 21, and Edgar Sanchez Ortega, 25, both of Perris, allegedly shot and killed George Torres, 25, of Moreno Valley in 2021.

The brothers are each charged with first-degree murder, robbery, attempted robbery and a special charge of homicide in the course of a robbery. Bryan Ortega alone faces charges of assault, battery and battery.

A jury convened on Tuesday, after which the prosecution and defense made opening statements. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jason Armand ordered jurors to return to the Riverside Hall of Justice Wednesday morning and prosecutors began calling witnesses.

Bryan Ortega is being held at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning in lieu of $1 million bail, and his older brother is being held at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on the same bail.

According to a trial brief filed by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, the defendants embarked on a robbery that began shortly after 1 a.m. on November 26, 2021, when they spotted a man walking through a field along Wells Street in Perris and decided to take all his things with him.

Bryan Ortega got out of his brother's four-door sedan and charged at the victim, shouting, “What's going on, buddy?” the brief said.

The victim, identified only as “MF” in court documents, later told sheriff's investigators that he did not know the person but immediately froze in fear as the man approached him, clasping the bolt of a 9mm. operated a handgun and “pushed the gun.” Punch to the side of his head,” court documents state.

“Bryan said, 'Take off all your clothes,'” the letter says. “MF hesitated… and when he did, Bryan hit him on the side of the head with the gun and said, 'Take off your clothes. I'm honest. I'll kill you.' MF therefore obeyed again and hit him again with the pistol after he took off his clothes and the victim fell to his knees.

Ortega grabbed the man's clothes and cellphone, which doubled as a wallet, and jumped back into his brother's car. The couple then sped off, prosecutors allege. MF was able to go to a Circle K not far away and ask for help from the clerk, who summoned sheriff's deputies.

Just 20 minutes later, the defendants drove to 4040 Perris Blvd in the morning/afternoon. According to prosecutors, he began inhaling drugs or fumes via balloons while sitting in Edgar Ortega's vehicle. The men saw Torres pull into the parking lot in his Honda sedan and decided to rob him and his male friend, identified only as “JN,” court documents said.

After JN got out of the passenger seat of the Honda and went to the supermarket to buy cigarettes, Edgar Ortega parked his sedan in the parking garage immediately next to the victim's car, the filing states. As JN returned and got back into the Honda, Bryan Ortega got out of his brother's vehicle, pulled out his 9mm pistol and said to JN and Torres, who was behind the wheel, “Give me everything you have,” that is it in the letter.

JN immediately obeyed and handed over his cigarettes and cash, but Torres refused to comply, prompting Ortega to demand the victim hand over his sunglasses. The young man resisted and instead grabbed a handgun he had hidden in the Honda and shot Ortega, who “then began shooting into the car multiple times,” the description says.

Torres was hit by multiple bullets and died at the scene. JN was not wounded. According to prosecutors, the defendants fled when witnesses called 911.

Homicide investigators checked images from surveillance cameras in the shop window that morning and quickly identified the brothers as suspected attackers. They also linked her to MF's attack and robbery, authorities said. This culminated in the men being arrested without incident at a Santa Ana hotel that same day.

According to prosecutors, Edgar Ortega has been involved in at least three attacks on fellow inmates since his incarceration. However, these incidents did not result in any charges. Neither he nor his younger brother have any previous felony convictions on record in Riverside County.

– City intelligence service