Fayetteville, WV (WOAY) – An Indiana man was sentenced to prison for the murder of a woman in Fayette County.
In a press release from the office of Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney Anthony Ciliberti Jr., 29-year-old Andres M. Torres Jr., of Goshen, Indiana was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Thursday, January 30, 2025. The sentence was for his participation in the 2023 murder of Michelle Smith in Fayette County.
According to the press release, Torres and his co-defendant, Amanda Soultz, arrived in Fayette County from Indiana in January of 2023. They had known Michelle Smith since they had previously lived in the area. Shortly after arriving in Fayette County, Torres was in need of money and had pawned a watch to Smith for $50, which she then posted for sale on Facebook. Torres reportedly became angry after seeing the post. He and Soultz then went to the home of Michelle Smith to get the watch back on February 16, 2023. This led to Smith being kidnapped, robbed, and murdered.
Soultz told prosecutors that Torres had was forced by Torres to participate in the crimes and that she complied out of fear. Once in jail, calls were recorded between Torres and Soultz where they said they intended to get married. Torres was going to take the fall so that Soultz could potentially walk free.
Amanda Soultz entered a guilty plea to First-Degree Murder in December 2024. She will be sentenced on February 11, 2025.
Prior to his trial and conviction on these charges, Torres was serving a two
to ten year sentence for malicious assault of another inmate at the Southern Regional Jail.
