Dwayne Herelle Jr. (right) and Irene Torres (left) - Facebook photo
Dwayne Herelle Jr., former MMA fighter stabbed ex-girlfriend 17 times and stored body in closet bin, detective testifies
Former professional mixed martial artist, Dwayne Herelle Jr., was arrested in January for the death of his ex-girlfriend after her body was found in a container in his closet.
The 28-year-old Herelle is charged with the stabbing death of his ex-girlfriend, Irene Torres, 24.
According to his arrest report, the mother of Irene Torres called police around 9 a.m. on January 29, to ask officers to check on the welfare of her daughter. The mother told dispatchers her daughter and daughter’s ex-boyfriend, Herelle, had a history of domestic violence. She also told dispatchers she saw security video showing Herelle forcibly dragging Torres from her home around 2 a.m. Sunday.
Officers went to Herelle’s apartment in Bellevue to question him, and he told them he hadn’t seen her since Friday, according to his arrest report.
The officers left the scene, but police said the victim’s father showed up at Herelle’s apartment and asked him about his daughter. Initially, Herelle reportedly told the victim’s father that she was at a hotel in downtown Nashville. They got into the car to go to the hotel and that’s when, according to this arrest report, Herelle told Torres’ father that he stabbed her to death and she was in a container in a closet at his apartment.
The victim’s father immediately called police. Then, Herelle was taken into custody.
After allegedly killing Torres, Herelle drove her body to his apartment, then shoved it into a plastic storage bin where it was found later that day. Following the fatal attack, the victim’s bloody pants and purse were allegedly disposed of in a dumpster behind a grocery store.
In a preliminary hearing, Metro Nashville Police Department Detective Derry Baltimore testified about the crime. According to a report by Nashville ABC affiliate WKRN, which had a camera in the courtroom for Baltimore’s testimony, the stabbing was caught on surveillance video at Torres’ home.
“We went to the closet area, and I could see the victim inside of a clear tote, looked like she was wrapped in some type of comforter,” he said.
“I was told while I was standing there with the doctor that she was stabbed in excess of 17 times,” Baltimore said.
Herelle is being held in the Davidson County Detention Center without bond.
Herelle was undefeated as an amateur mixed martial artist going 5-0. After he transitioned to a pro career, he went 0-2 with his last fight taking place in August 2018.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
