ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL – A Florida man is facing the possibility of life in prison after being convicted of fatally stabbing the mother of his children as their relationship ended, then leaving her body as he took their sons to school.
Farel Torres, 38, was found guilty Wednesday of second-degree murder in the killing of 34-year-old Vanessa Santiago, following a brief deliberation by a Seminole County jury that took just 14 minutes, according to authorities. Prosecutors detailed a chilling sequence of events that unfolded the morning of May 29 in the couple’s apartment on Winter Woods Boulevard.
Investigators said Torres prepared for the assault by removing a large steak knife from the kitchen and disabling the security camera in the bedroom, where the stabbing took place. Evidence presented during the trial indicated this act was intended to prevent the attack from being recorded.
Authorities responded to a 911 call from Torres around 9 a.m., in which he confessed to having stabbed Santiago. On the call, he described her condition as beyond help and told dispatchers the knife remained lodged in her body. Deputies and medical crews arrived at the apartment and pronounced Santiago dead at the scene.
Police records indicate Torres sounded distraught and remorseful during the emergency call, repeatedly telling dispatchers that the stabbing was a result of anger. When investigators questioned him later, Torres was reportedly overcome with emotion and was unable to clearly recount the events leading up to the fatal attack.
Throughout the four-day trial, prosecutors emphasized that Torres and Santiago’s two sons were present during the incident. Surveillance footage from other rooms in the apartment captured the sounds of an argument, and at one point, one of the children reportedly entered the bedroom during the attack before being quickly ushered out by Torres.
Testimony revealed that Santiago had ended the relationship and was in the process of evicting Torres from the home, which she leased in her name. After the stabbing, digital evidence showed Torres accessed Santiago’s social media accounts and transferred funds from her bank account to his own, actions prosecutors described as deliberate and calculated.
Defense attorneys for Torres argued for a lesser charge, contending the homicide was committed in the heat of passion rather than with premeditation. However, jurors were not persuaded by that argument and returned the second-degree murder verdict.
Torres is scheduled for sentencing on November 5 and now faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life behind bars.
Officials said the case has had a profound impact on the surviving children, who are now left without both of their parents in their lives.
No sentencing recommendation has been announced, and Torres remains in custody as the court date approaches.