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

CASSELBERRY, Fla. - 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 37-year-old victim's boyfriend and father of their child, has been jailed on a charge of second-degree murder.

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

Inside the apartment, they found a 34-year-old woman with a stab wound to the head, 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.

According to police, there was one prior report involving the couple from March, in which the victim reported that Torres stole her phone, but she declined to press charges and stated no violence occurred. Additionally, a 2021 report from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office documented Torres being violent towards the victim, according to investigators.

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

Additionally, a new Domestic Violence Service Center will open within the Seminole County Justice James E.C. Perry Courthouse Annex at 91 Eslinger Way on Monday. The center aims to assist individuals in harmful situations with filing for protective injunctions.

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