Suspect arrested in Halloween fatal shooting in Madras

Published 4:10 pm Tuesday, January 17, 2023

MADRAS — A suspect in a fatal shooting in Madras on Halloween has been arrested and faces a charge of second-degree murder.

Andre Spino, 18, was arrested at the Madras Police Station on Friday, according to booking information on the Jefferson County jail website. He faces charges of murder, unlawful use of a weapon and recklessly endangering a person, according to court records.

Spino is charged in the shooting death of 24-year-old Edgar Miguel Torres-Aguilera. Torres-Aguilera was shot multiple times and later died after being taken by air ambulance to St. Charles Bend.

He is one of two suspects who police have named in the wake of the killing on Halloween in the Strawberry Heights neighborhood. The shooting occurred as dozens of children trick-or-treated nearby.

Residents of this neighborhood — all of whom spoke anonymously, some saying they feared for their safety — said the shooting shook the community. Some said they heard the sound of gunfire and saw children in Halloween costumes running away.

Police also named Chance Corey Lee Stwyer, 22, as a suspect. In a December news release, police described him as 220 pounds, 5-foot-9 and armed and dangerous. Police previously said they believe Stwyer is in the Madras or Warm Springs area and added that he has connections to the city of Burns in Harney County.

Spino appeared by video from the Jefferson County jail for his arraignment in Jefferson County Circuit Court on Tuesday.

The court said it will request an attorney from the state Office of Public Defense to represent Spino because the local defense consortium, the 22nd Circuit Defenders, does not have a defense attorney qualified to handle murder cases.

Authorities are staying mum on the details of the Halloween shooting and Spino’s alleged connection to it.

Jefferson County District Attorney Steve Leriche declined to comment on the case on Tuesday.

When reached outside of the courtroom on Tuesday, Jefferson County’s chief deputy district attorney, Brentley Foster, said she would not provide any further details on the case.

Steve Bartol, the director of police services for the Madras Police Department, said he couldn’t provide additional information about the case because Oregon State Police took over the investigation.

A public information officer with the Oregon State Police did not respond to a list of questions from The Bulletin on Tuesday.

Authorities have also sealed a probable cause affidavit filed recently in Jefferson County Circuit Court.

The Halloween shooting was one of three shootings that occurred in quick succession in recent months, including one other second-degree murder case.