Police arrest 2 in slaying of freed jailhouse informant

(AP) — Two suspects were arrested Thursday and charged with murder in the death of a Virginia man who scammed banks out of more than $50 million and later testified as a jailhouse informant in a capital murder case that resulted in an early release from prison.

In a news release, police described El-Atari as the victim of a targeted robbery, saying the suspects robbed El-Atari of several items, then shot him and fled.

El-Atari wore a wire while he worked as a jailhouse informant against Torrez, who was convicted and sentenced to death in the murder of Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Amanda Snell.

In a letter to the judge who ordered his early release, El-Atari wrote that Torrez "had told me about plans to eliminate witnesses in his upcoming trial and based on his past, I knew he would not hesitate to kill me, but I continued to assist anyway because I knew it was the right thing to do."