A Florida man, Farel Torres, was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Wednesday after being convicted of the murder of his girlfriend, Vanessa Santiago.
The conviction stems from an incident on the morning of May 29, 2024, when Torres killed Santiago with a steak knife inside their apartment located off S.R. 436 and Winter Woods Boulevard in Casselberry. The crime occurred with the couple’s two children nearby, according to prosecutors.
Following the stabbing, Torres drove the children to school. Hours later, he contacted law enforcement, telling dispatchers, “I stabbed her in the head … I stabbed her ‘cause I was mad.”
At his trial in September, Torres’s defense unsuccessfully argued that the killing was a result of a “fit of passion,” which could have supported a conviction for the lesser charge of manslaughter instead of murder.
Seminole County prosecutors Domenick Leo, Jacob Polk, and Sarah Mian presented evidence to the jury suggesting that Torres’s emotional display was calculated.
They argued that Torres was angry because Santiago was ending their relationship and asking him to leave their two-bedroom apartment.
The prosecution established that Torres retrieved a steak knife, disabled a security camera in the bedroom, and killed Santiago before dropping the children off and notifying other family members prior to calling 911.
After deliberating for 14 minutes on September 18th, the jury found Farel Torres guilty of second-degree murder.
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