Man Who Attempted to Stab Flight Attendant In Horrifying Incident Aboard United Air Flight to Boston Reaches Plea Deal With Prosecutors
- In March 2023, Francisco Severo Torres allegedly attempted to stab a flight attendant and open an airplane door at 35,000 feet during a United Airlines flight to Boston but he has only now entered a plea because he had been committed to a mental health institution.
A man who allegedly attempted to stab a flight attendant and open an emergency exit at 35,000 feet in a horrifying incident aboard a cross-country United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston has reached a plea deal with prosecutors and could now be released with time served.
Francisco Severo Torres, of Leominster, Massachusetts, was arrested after the plane made a safe landing at Boston Logan Airport on March 5, 2023, and faced charges of interference with flight crew members and flight attendants using a dangerous weapon.
Prosecutors had alleged that with 45 minutes left of the five-hour flight, the pilots had an alert in the cockpit that one of the mid-cabin emergency exits between First Class and the Main Cabin was disarmed.
Flight attendants were dispatched to find out what had happened and discovered that not only had the slide arming lever been moved to the disarmed position but that the door handle had been moved approximately a quarter of the way toward the open position.
As flight attendants tried to get to the bottom of what had happened to the door, one of the crew said they had seen Torres near the exit and feared he had tampered with it.
The crew challenged Torres before telling the Captain that they were worried he posed a risk to the safety of the plane.
Not long after, Torres got out of his seat and approached two flight attendants who were standing in the aisle. Torres started to yell and threatened that he could “kill every man on this plane” before suddenly thrusting a broken metal spoon at the neck of one of the flight attendants.
The flight attendant was struck three times before passengers and other crew members managed to tackle Torres to the ground and restrain him.
Torres was immediately taken into custody upon the plane’s arrival in Boston but in July 2023, U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith Dein ruled that he was unfit to stand trial because he was suffering from a mental disease.
Torres was committed to a mental institution and in December 2023, the hospital’s director advised he was fit to stand trial. Torres’ legal team, however, brought in independent experts who argued that he suffered from anosognosia–a condition that prevents him from understanding he suffers from mental illness.
As a result, Torres was recommitted to a mental institution and only now has been able to reach a plea deal with prosecutors.
Toress has pleaded guilty to interference with flight attendants, which has a maximum penalty of incarceration for life because a deadly weapon was used.
Prosecutors will, however, ask the court to sentence Toress to time served, along with a fine that could range from $15,000 to as much as $150,000.
Torres is due to be sentenced on July 17 and it will be up to court to decide his actual sentence.
