Case Profiles #78
Angel Antonio Torres
Angel Antonio Torres, known as Tony, was a good kid who loved his family and anything having to do with sports. As a kid and teenager, he played soccer and basketball and grew up wanting to do something involved with sports as a job. By the time he was 21, Tony was attending Framingham University and double majoring in business and psychology, with a minor in Spanish. His goal after college was to open a sporting goods store, and with his defined smile and well-liked personality, it seemed like a very feasible dream. On May 19th, 1999, Tony called his parents in Maine and wished them a happy wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, this would be the last time they’d hear from their son. His girlfriend, who he had recently moved in with in the town of Barre, Massachusetts, last spoke to him on the phone on May 21st, 1999. It was early that morning, around 2:00 a.m., that Tony was last seen by his friend, Jason Carney, at a convenience store known as the Whistle Shop in downtown Biddeford, Maine. The pair was visiting friends while there, and according to some sources, selling some drugs to apparent unhappy customers who wanted to chat. Carney was the last person to see Tony alive, and has said nothing on the matter.
He died of a drug overdose in 2015, largely unquestioned and unsuspected in the case. Interestingly enough, two other people who had last seen Tony that night were Steven and Daniel Sanborn, brothers who were there the night that 15-year-old Ashley Oullette was murdered in Scarborough, Maine. They were technically considered persons of interest in Ashley’s case, however her murder remains unsolved. Tony was officially reported missing on May 24th, 1999 by both his girlfriend and his parents. He has not been seen or heard from since. At the time of his disappearance, Tony was a 5’8” tall, 150-160 pound Hispanic male with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a gold chain with a large, gold crucifix pendant and a serpent pendant on it. If you or anyone you know has any information on Tony’s disappearance, please call the Maine State Police at 207-657-3030.
Shanike Roldan
Shanike Roldan, who some sources said was 28-years-old while others said she was 34-years-old, was a lovely woman and a great mom to her six children. She was lovingly nicknamed “Nikki.” On November 3rd, 2019, at 1:37 a.m., police responded to School Street in Springfield, Massachusetts to find Shanike unconscious and bleeding on the sidewalk. It was clear she had been shot in the head. She was rushed to Baystate Medical Center but was pronounced dead on arrival. The first suspect police looked into was 51-year-old Anthony Potito. Anthony and Nikki were in an on-again, off-again relationship and had been in a heated and bitter argument about the paternity of two of Nikki’s children, as Anthony was the father but he was denying this. Surveillance footage showed a vehicle, specifically a gray Toyota Avalon, driving up to Nikki, who was running for her life. On the footage you can see two flashes of gunshots being fired from the drivers side of the car.
While the car wasn’t Anthony’s, witnesses were able to tell police that he frequently drove his mom’s car, a gray Toyota Avalon. A witness was able to identify Anthony as the driver and the shooter. It was also revealed that just before Nikki’s murder, Anthony had called her seven times in five minutes. Police were able to access her text messages to Anthony, and they saw a significant amount of angry texts from him where he was accusing her of cheating on him. He also accused her of being a sex worker and giving him a sexually transmitted infection. There were also text messages where he was threatening to kill her. One message stated, “Well how about this, I’m going to go home and get my gun and kill you right now if I see you.” Nikki was shot minutes later. Nikki had told witnesses that the father of her children had been “hurting her” throughout the evening and into the night just before her murder. She was seen by other people in the area running through the streets and ducking into alleyways to try to get away from Anthony. Police searched Anthony’s home and vehicle and found multiple guns, ammunition as well as gunshot residue in the car. One of the revolvers Anthony owned had two discharged .44 caliber cartridges, revealing that this was clearly the murder weapon.
On May 20th, 2025, Anthony Potito was sentenced to life in prison with eligibility for parole after 23 years. This would put him at possibly being paroled at the age of 79. He was charged with second-degree murder as well as ten additional charges for various firearms related offenses such as carrying a firearm without a license, discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card and improper storage of a firearm. These all had additional sentences of 18 months to several years to be served concurrently with the life sentence. Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni stated, “Shanike Roldan was a young woman whose life was taken far too soon. My heart goes out to her family and loved ones as they continue to grieve this loss.”
Image sources:
fox23maine.com - “Maine State Police seek help in 26-year-old disappearance case of Angel ‘Tony’ Torres”
puertadelcielo.com - “Shanike Roldan”