A new federal complaint alleges a Chicago police detective tried to hire a gang member to kill a fellow female investigator he had already been convicted of assaulting. The civil filing claims text messages and other communications show the officer moved to arrange payment for the killing, then pushed the department to bury the evidence, leaving the detective who reported him exposed. It is the latest turn in overlapping criminal and civil cases that have reignited questions about how the department handles officer-on-officer abuse.
Alleged text about an address and a cash payout
According to the complaint, Det. Marco Torres sent another officer a text on May 20, 2024, asking for his ex-girlfriend’s home address and explaining that he needed it "so this guy from gangs can get rid of her." The filing says Torres added that the alleged go-between "wants a grand" for the job. The document lays out the specific wording of that exchange, including what it describes as tongue-in-cheek phrasing, in detail. Those allegations are described in the newly filed complaint, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Plaintiff says the city ignored clear warnings
The suit claims the officer who received Torres’s text "made Doe generally aware" that there was a serious threat but did not show her the message itself. When the detective and her lawyer later asked the city for the text and for protection, the complaint says city officials refused to alert her that Torres had allegedly spoken with a gang member, a choice the filing argues "intentionally placed Doe in harm's way," according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The lawsuit also notes that Torres faces separate criminal allegations and is scheduled to appear again in criminal court in early January.
Criminal conviction and where the detective stands with CPD
Reporting by Unraveled Press and public records show Torres pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge in November 2024 and received a one-year probation sentence that bars him from carrying a firearm. Unraveled Press lists him as on unpaid leave and notes that he has been the subject of multiple complaints, part of a longer record that has drawn outside scrutiny of how the department responds to officers accused of domestic or sexual misconduct. The outlet documented Torres’s case alongside dozens of other Chicago police employees who have been stripped of their policing powers in recent years.
What advocates say the case lays bare
Doe’s attorney argues in the federal complaint that Torres’s case highlights a broader problem of gender-based violence and a code of silence within the department. The suit seeks damages for lost pay and emotional distress. In its broader review of officers who have been benched or relieved of police powers, Unraveled Press frames the allegations as part of a pattern of inconsistent oversight and renewed calls for stronger accountability. "Torres was arrested in March and charged with domestic battery and assault," the outlet noted in its rundown of officers removed from duty, placing this case squarely in a wider cluster of complaints over conduct and discipline.
What happens next in court
The federal civil lawsuit is moving forward alongside the pending criminal matters, with the complaint asking a judge to award relief for lost wages, benefits and the emotional harm the plaintiff says she has endured. Prosecutors and the Chicago Police Department have not yet resolved the separate criminal allegations that involve witness harassment and threats. For now, the combination of the federal complaint and the ongoing criminal case means several legal tracks will decide whether the department, the detective or both are ultimately found civilly or criminally liable.
