The sister of Hector Torres — the Carteret man found beaten to death in October — is seeking answers in her brother's death.
Pictured left, Hector Torres, 59, of Carteret, and his sister, Aixa Melara, 51, of the Bronx, New York Aixa Melara is grappling with not knowing why her brother was killed.
On Oct. 11, authorities responded to a two-family borough house on Holly Street where they found Hector W. Torres dead in the first-floor residence that he rented.
He had been beaten to death and suffering blunt force trauma to the head, according to officials.
For, Melara, 51, it has been a daily struggle trying to figure out why.
"What happened to Willie is unexplainable," she said, referring to Torres by his middle name. "I can't find a reason why."
It was the second brother she's lost in a year, she said. Her brother, Jessie Torres, died of a brain tumor in August at the age of 56. She said she also lost a brother in 1986 and another brother in 2008, both from illnesses.
To get through the losses, she said, "You just pray."
Torres' fiance, Daisy Perez, who lives in Tampa, Florida, has also been struggling over the reason he was killed.
"Why? He never bothered anybody. We want to know why. It's very hard," Perez said.
The two were set to be married next month, she said.
Earlier this month, police arrested and charged a 32-year-old Carteret woman, Sandra Simon, in connection with the homicide. Last week, she pleaded not guilty in Middlesex County Superior Court, and she is currently being held on $750,000 bail.
The criminal complaint alleges that Simon hit Torres "repeatedly" with an object, causing blunt force trauma to his head. The complaint says that detectives were able to match DNA to Simon from a blood stain allegedly found on Torres' shirt.
Officials have described Simon as an acquaintance of Torres, but have not provided any other details about their relationship.
For Melara, the arrest has not eased the pain. "It hurts, it just hurts," she said.
Torres' sister-in-law, Carmen Torres, of Newark, said it was a big shock, and that she too has been struggling with grief and anger.
"I miss him a lot. During the holidays, there is going to be something missing," she said.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.