After an argument outside the woman’s Tennessee home, a former MMA fighter is accused of stabbing her 17 times and stuffing her body into a bin, which he then hid in his closet, gistpeople reports
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According to her sister and local reports, Dwayne Herelle Jr., 28, has been charged with murder after allegedly stabbing Irene Torres, 24, outside the home she shared with her parents in the early morning hours of Jan. 29.
Herelle allegedly waited for Torres to return home from work before “sneaking up from behind and ambushing her,” the victim’s older sister Reyna Douglas wrote in a GoFundMe page for Torres.
“She was repeatedly dragged and stabbed in front of her parents’ house,” she wrote.
WKRN reported that investigators revealed Torres had been stabbed “in excess of 17 times” during a packed court hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 15.
Herelle then dragged Torres’ body into his car trunk and drove to his home, where he stuffed her remains into a storage bin and stashed it in his closet, according to police.
According to the local outlet, Metro Nashville Police Department Detective Derry Baltimore testified in court that the two had an argument before the attack.
Herelle also dumped bloody pants and Torres’ purse in a dumpster behind a grocery store, according to Baltimore.
Torres’ parents allegedly saw Herelle dragging her out of the camera frame while reviewing surveillance footage outside their home after realizing their daughter had not returned home, according to police.
Torres’ father confronted his daughter’s ex, who initially claimed she was in a hotel before allegedly confessing to the murder and claiming her body was in his closet.
Torres had broken up with Herelle a month before her death, according to her sister, who described the relationship as physically and emotionally abusive.
“While most 24-year-olds are planning their careers and futures and are optimistic about the world,” Douglas wrote. “Irene demonstrated incredible bravery in leaving her abusive relationship and was overjoyed to begin her new life with the support of her family, only to be hunted down and brutally murdered one month later in her front yard.”
Her sister’s death, she said, was a “senseless tragedy,” but her memory will live on.
“Despite being terrorized, abused, and living in fear, Irene always had a smile on her face and a compliment to give to those who were fortunate to know her,” Douglas said.
