Asbury Park Christmas Eve Slaying Unsolved After a Decade

FREEHOLD, NJ - It is not a joyous Christmas Eve for the family of Cesar Torralba who on this date 10 years ago left for a trip to the supermarket and almost made it home.

The 10-year anniversary of the slaying in Asbury Park is gaining renewed focus as the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Asbury Park Police urge anyone with information to contact police, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

“As police officers and prosecutors, we are sworn to treat each and every murder case and victim the same; we strive to do that each and every day and with each and every loss of life," Gramiccioni said in a release. "However, some cases are just so senseless and gut-wrenching that (they) demand special attention. Cesar Torralba’s widow and his two, now-teen-age daughters deserve answers and they deserve justice.

Gramiccioni remembers the facts of the case: It was on Christmas Eve 2007 that the 35-year old husband and family man left his Sixth Avenue apartment to go to the Super Extra grocery store on Memorial Drive to pick up supplies for the holiday dinner.

His wife, Minerva Torralba heard voices outside their second-floor apartment door around 12:40 p.m. She assumed it was her husband greeting a neighbor – a common practice for the father of two.

Mrs. Torralba approached the door, looked out the peephole of the door and instead of finding her husband speaking with a neighbor, she saw a man pointing a small black handgun at her husband, demanding money.

She immediately turned away from the peephole to find her mobile phone so she could dial 911. That is when she heard the gunshot.

She jerked open the door, running frantically to Torralba laying on the floor outside their apartment. Torralba was unconscious and bleeding.

Mrs. Torralba grabbed her husband’s phone and began knocking on a neighbor’s door. The neighbor opened her door, took the phone from Mrs. Torralba and dialed authorities.

Asbury Park police and an emergency medical team transported the gravely injured Torralba to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, in Neptune Township, where Torralba was pronounced dead just one hour after his wife thought hewas talking to a neighbor. The pronouncement was made at 1:40 p.m.. Dec. 24 was just 16 days shy of Torralba's 36th birthday.

"Please do not let your fear get in the way of justice for the person who killed my husband," Mrs. Torralba pleaded with the public. As authorities often say about this cases, someone knows something.

"Not a day goes by that my daughters and I do not think about my husband and their father," the widow continued. "It’s hard to explain how just how hard it has been for my daughters to grow up not having a father to guide, love and cherish them."

A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Asbury Park Police Department remains active and ongoing, authorities said, but in spite of what law enforcement described as "a significant effort," Torralba's slaying remains unsolved.

It wasn't just law enforcement who became committed to solving the case. The community supported Asbury Park police is trying to identify the gunman. The case even brought the Guardian Angels to town. Members of the citizens watchdog group passed out flyers and encouraged residents to come forward with information.

But time takes its toll on memories. Other crimes get fresh attention. But the Christmas Eve slaying still haunts many people associated with its aftermath. As others enjoy their holiday dinners with loved ones, law enforcement hopes that someone will remember the Torralba family and the empty chair at that table.

Investigators from the prosecutor’s office and Asbury Park Police Department are on the case with renewed vigor, if in fact it ever faded at all. Detectives return to the public with a new appeal. The time has come for justice for Torralba and his family.

"Ten years later, we simply cannot forget that reality and facts of the case: Here’s a man who left his two young children and his wife to go buy groceries for Christmas Eve dinner," the prosecutor said. "Then, just prior to reuniting with them, he was senselessly gunned down with only his front door separating him from his family. On behalf of his loved ones, we urge anyone with information to please reach out to police.”

Today is not an easy day for the Torralba family. But many days are like today, Mrs. Torralba said.

"While many days are difficult, things like father-daughter dances are unbearable," she said. "It’s just not fair to them. They have grown up waiting for the person responsible to be arrested. Cesar, their father and my husband, was a great man who worked hard every day to provide for us. I plead with anyone who knows anything to contact police so my children do not have to wait any longer for justice."

Anyone with information about Torralba's slaying should contact Det. Jose Cruz of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 800-533-7443 or Det. Gabriel Carrasquillo of the Asbury Park Police Department at 732-774-1300.

Or if you want to remain anonymous, provide your information to the Monmouth County Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-671-4400, which is an anonymous, confidential telephone tip-line. Tipsters may also text “MONMOUTH” plus the tip to 274637 or email tip via the website at www.monmouthcountycrimestoppers.com. Monmouth County Crime Stoppers does not need your name, and will pay up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest or conviction of a criminal.

Father and husband Cesar Torralba. Photo courtesy of Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.