Kim Kardashian, staunch prison reform advocate and social media mega-influencer, put out a call asking that the father of one of the Uvalde shooting victims be temporarily released from prison so he can attend his daughter's funeral.
Her plea reached her massive audience, who was touched by her advocacy, but her request might have been just too late to be a reality.
The morning of June 2, she made a Tweet and posted a story to her Instagram sharing an image of Eliahana 'Ellie' Cruz, who was 10 years old when she was the victim of the Uvalde school shooting.
Despite being in jail, he reportedly had an excellent relationship with his daughter, often talking on the phone about her hobbies and how school was going.
That's why it broke his heart when he was told just days after she was killed that he would not be released to attend her funeral.
Ellie's family fought hard trying to get him the temporary pardon needed, but to no avail. The story began to grow, with many people besides Kim fighting to get him out. Kentucky Rep. Attia C. Scott wrote a letter to President Joe Biden and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear asking for his release.
Those fighting for Torres faced nothing but denials and silence from those they asked for help. The funeral passed also on June 2 with no record of Torres having been there in person, but he was allowed to watch and attend virtually via a livestream.
"The choices I made, it cost me," Eli Torres told The Houston Chronicle. "I could have prevented this from happening, somehow, some way, as a father. [...] I could have stopped it somehow. Protected her."
Those who fought for him were still valiant in their efforts, and though it might have been too late, he and Ellie's family surely appreciate their attempts.
h/t: Cafe Mom
