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Oct 13, 2008 5:25 pm US/Central
Plano Teen Laid To Rest After Deadly Stabbing
PLANO (CBS 11 News) ―
Funeral services were held Monday afternoon for a Plano high school senior who was stabbed to death by another teen early Sunday morning, in an altercation that may have evolved, over a girl.
F amily and friends gathered to celebrate the brief life of 17-year-old Max Brustein. The private graveside service was held for the Romanian orphan who was adopted in 1991 and grew up in North Texas. In keeping with his family's Jewish faith he was buried right away, even though he died only yesterday.
Brustein, a high school student, was also mourned by classmates, some of whom created a MySpace page in his memory. He died from stab wounds at a Plano shopping center during a confrontation with who police describe as a romantic rival, 19-year-old Joshua Torres of Richardson.
Family members say Brustein received death threats from Torres and police did nothing about it.
According to police Torres is dating Brustein's former girlfriend. Family members played for CBS 11 News what they say is a threatening phone call from Torres last summer, after Brustein contacted the girlfriend.
Plano police acknowledge a patrol officer answered a phone complaint last June. Officials say the caller was phoned back and ordered not to call again. Detectives claim when they followed up with Brustein he told them to drop the matter.
"[He] had no other issues," explained Officer Rick McDonald with the Plano Police Department. "Hadn't been no other phone calls coming in on his phone. They believed that everything that had happened was taken care of on that day and told the detective not to follow up on it anymore."
Torres' attorney says he's trying to verify the alleged phone call and insists the scenario was the other way around, with Brustein harassing Torres. "The deceased's behavior became more and more harassing," claims attorney Tom Pappas. "And in fact, we know there were at least one or two threatening phone calls made recently, not back in June like Mr. Torres."
Police say they are still trying to sort out the phone calls and the murder. Meanwhile, Torres is charged with murder and remains in the Collin County Jail on $75,000 bond .
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