Dallas man to serve 15 year sentence for arranging murder of couple

The families of a couple kidnapped and murdered will finally come face to face with the man responsible for their deaths almost a decade later.

Not even nine years can hide the pain and anguish Rachel Torres still feels. She vividly remembers her baby sister, 18-year-old Linoshka, and her boyfriend, 19-year-old Luis Campos. 

"She had a great future ahead,” Torres said. “She was pregnant with a little girl. She would have been great."

In January of 2007, the expecting couple mysteriously disappeared from in front of an Oak Cliff home. A month later, their bodies were found under the Dowdy Ferry Road bridge in Southeastern Dallas.

Investigators say 39-year-old Nicolas Monarrez had the couple kidnapped, tortured and killed because he mistakenly believed they stole drugs and cash from him.

Last Wednesday, Dallas County prosecutors allowed Monarrez to plead guilty in exchange for a 15-year sentence.

The Torres family feels cheated, saying they were neither not notified nor consulted about the plea bargain until a full week after Monarrez made the plea.

"I've been numb ever since she told me because I just can't believe that you can kill 3 people and just get 15 years and set free,” said Torres. “That's not fair."

A spokeswoman for the DA’s office says prosecutors will not comment until after they meet with family members and have an opportunity to address Monarrez in open court.

Torres says every day she's reminded of what happened as she has to cross the Dowdy Ferry Road bridge on her way to and from work.

"How am I guaranteed any peace in my heart?” she said. “I'm not."

Friday will be the first time both families will face the men responsible. Torres plans to directly address Monarrez.

Monarezz is already serving a prison for an unrelated charge. When that sentence is up in 2021, he will begin serving the 15 year murder sentence.