Dwayne Herelle Jr., a former M-1 Global MMA fighter, is currently on trial for the murder of his ex-girlfriend. The woman in question, 24-year-old Irene Torres, was found by officials after Herelle gave them the location of the body, which he hid. The traumatic events that led to her death were divulged by officials last week as the suspect remains behind bars. Her sister states this has been an “unimaginable loss” for their family.
Herelle Jr., 28, had his preliminary hearing in Tennessee on Wednesday, Feb. 15. During this, friends and family of the slain woman were forced to hear the harrowing details of Torres’ demise. Metro Nashville Police Department told the court the two had worked together at a bar on Broadway. It’s not clear if that’s where they met or formed their relationship.
Herelle Jr. & Torres Had Troubled Relationship
Some time after, however, the couple’s union became abusive—physically and emotionally—according to reports. According to her older sister, Reyna Douglas, “Irene spent some of the last months of her young life abused, degraded, terrorized, and fearful.” A month prior to Torres’ death, she and Herelle had broken up—a move Douglas cites as a “brave decision” upon her sister’s return home. Irene was “happy to start her new life with the support of her family.” Torres and Herelle Jr. parted ways on December 29, 2022. Exactly one month later, sadly, the two got into a heated in front of Torres’ family home. It resulted in Herelle Jr. ambushing her from behind and stabbing her an immense 17 times.
According to the details on her GoFundMe page, he then “took Irene’s lifeless body and transported her across the county and dumped her in a plastic bin in his closet.” The former MMA fighter went on to dump her pants and purse behind a local grocery store. Herelle Jr. confessed after being confronted by the woman’s father. Irene Torres fundraiser page has received nearly $20,000 and has since closed. Yesterday (Feb. 19), her sister announced her memorial was held over the weekend. “It is comforting to see how many people loved and cared for Irene and how many lives she touched,” Douglas wrote in an update. Overall, the remaining funds will be donated to a local domestic violence charity on her family’s behalf.
[Via]