FAYETTEVILLE, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Andres M. Torres, Jr., 29, of Goshen, Indiana, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the February 2023 murder of Michelle Smith.
Fayette County Circuit Judge Thomas K. Fast handed down the sentence on January 30, 2025.
In addition to the life sentence, Torres received a consecutive term of one to five years for conspiracy and was fined $10,000.
He was found guilty on October 31, 2024, after a three-day jury trial. The jury did not recommend mercy, making him ineligible for parole.
Prior to the trial, Torres had been serving a two- to ten-year sentence for malicious assault of another inmate at the Southern Regional Jail.
Torres’ co-defendant, Amanda Soultz, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on December 6, 2024, and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 11, 2025.
Kidnapping and Murder Over a Pawned Watch
Torres and Soultz traveled to Fayette County from Indiana in late January 2023. Soultz, who had previously lived in the area, knew the victim, Michelle Smith.
Shortly after their arrival, Torres pawned a watch to Smith for $50. When Smith later listed the watch for sale on Facebook, Torres became angry.
On February 16, 2023, Torres and Soultz went to Smith’s home on Deepwater Mountain Road to retrieve the watch.
According to statements made to police, the pair had dinner and drinks with Smith that evening.
However, crime scene evidence contradicted claims that their visit was friendly.
When Smith refused to return the watch, saying she no longer had it, Torres became enraged.
He and Soultz restrained Smith using handcuffs found in her bedroom, and Torres brutally beat her with his fists and a pistol.
After ransacking the house, they eventually found the watch. Torres, growing even more furious, shot Smith in the head with a .45-caliber firearm before leaving her for dead.
Smith was discovered alive over 12 hours later by her adult son, who went to check on her after being unable to reach her.
Despite medical efforts, she succumbed to her injuries on March 31, 2023, at the age of 41.
In police interviews, Soultz claimed she was forced by Torres to participate in the crime out of fear.
However, evidence indicated that after the murder, the two worked together to evade capture.
Jail recordings later revealed their plans to marry and that Torres intended to take full responsibility to help Soultz avoid punishment.
The West Virginia State Police investigated the case, and Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jennifer D. Crane led the prosecution.
