Florida man charged with murder after calling 911, claiming he stabbed his girlfriend: police

CASELBERRY, Florida. – A woman has died from a stab wound to the head in what Casselberry Police Department homicide detectives are calling a domestic violence incident.

Investigators said Farel Torres, the victim's 37-year-old boyfriend and father of their child, was jailed on second-degree murder charges.

According to investigators, Torres called 911 to say he had stabbed his girlfriend at a residence on San Jose Circle around 9 a.m. Wednesday. Officers, with assistance from the Seminole County Sheriff's Office and the Seminole County Fire Department, arrived on scene to find Torres outside and took him into custody.

Inside the apartment, they found a 34-year-old woman with a head injury and paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. The couple's child was not present during the incident and is currently in the care of the maternal grandmother, police said.

Police say there was a previous report involving the couple from March, in which the victim reported that Torres had stolen her phone, but she declined to press charges and said no violence had occurred. . Additionally, a 2021 report from the Seminole County Sheriff's Office documented that Torres was violent toward the victim, according to investigators.

Anyone experiencing domestic violence is encouraged to seek help by calling 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

Additionally, a new domestic violence services center will open Monday in the Seminole County Judge James EC Perry Courthouse Annex at 91 Eslinger Way. The center aims to help people in harmful situations file protective injunctions.

In collaboration with local victim advocacy organization SafeHouse of Seminole, the center provides support, shelter and legal services to victims of domestic violence.