Five of 18 bones recovered from a burn pit on property owned by Roberto Torner were found to be part of a male’s skull, an anthropologist testified Wednesday.
Dr. Conrad Quintyn, an associate professor in anthropology at Bloomsburg University, said he analyzed the bones at his office coming to a conclusion five fragments were part of a skull to a male.
Quintyn said the 13 other bones were too small or did not have features to make a conclusion.
The bone fragments were collected by state police Corporal Jesse Bachman when he was assigned to the Forensic Services Unit, Troop N Hazleton, during a search of Torner’s property on North Buck Mountain Road in Foster Township during the missing persons investigation of Jose Herran in May 2018.
While Herran remains an open investigation as missing, Luzerne County Deputy District Attorney Daniel E. Zola and Assistant District Attorney Drew McLaughlin are attempting to convince a jury Herran was killed by Torner and co-conspirator David Alzugaray, 54, inside a house trailer on the property. Herran’s body was then dismembered in a bedroom of the trailer and the human remains burned and discarded.
Quintyn testified during Torner’s second day of trial before Judge David W. Lupas. Torner is charged with an open count of criminal homicide, criminal conspiracy to commit homicide and criminal solicitation to commit homicide.
Quintyn said one of the five bone fragments, a piece of the right temporal bone, was burned.
Bachman testified Tuesday he recovered 18 bone fragments from a burn pit at Torner’s property. While searching a bedroom were investigators allege Herran was dismembered, the sub-floor under carpet had been painted, Bachman said.
Prior to the start of Wednesday’s proceeding, a second juror was dismissed due to medical concerns.
After Tuesday’s proceeding concluded, retired state police Corporal and county detective Shawn Williams encountered a juror crying and sobbing outside the courthouse. Williams contacted Zola, who instructed him to check on the juror’s medical condition.
When the juror gave a “thumbs up,” Williams and, by then also McLaughlin, monitored the juror from a distance for a medical precautionary measure.
Zola and McLaughlin reported the incident to Lupas and advised Torner’s attorneys, Robert A. Saurman and Brian J. Collins.
After a discussion, Lupas excused the juror from further service and was replaced by an alternate juror.
A juror was dismissed Tuesday after McLaughlin and Saurman gave opening statements due to an anxiety attack and was replaced by an alternate juror.
With the two excused jurors being replaced, only two alternate jurors remain.
Alzugaray’s trial on criminal homicide, conspiracy and abuse or corpse charges is scheduled for July.