Fayetteville, West Virginia.After entering a guilty plea to first-degree murder in the 2023 murder of a West Virginia woman, which was caused by a fight over a $50 pawned watch, an Indiana woman will be sentenced to at least 15 years in jail.
On December 6, Amanda Don Soultz, 32, of Elkhart, Indiana, pled before Circuit Judge Paul M. Blake, Jr. Soultz was given a life sentence with the possibility of release after 15 years as part of a plea deal. The date of the formal sentence is set for February 11, 2025.
Soultz was charged with the murder of 41-year-old Michelle Ann Smith at her residence on Deepwater Mountain Road on February 16, 2023, along with her co-defendant, Andres M. Torres, Jr., who is also from Indiana. After a jury trial, Torres, 38, was found guilty on October 31, 2024, of first-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery, and conspiracy. His sentencing is scheduled for January 30, 2025.
Prosecutors say Torres became angry when he discovered that Smith, who had pawned his watch for $50, was trying to sell it on Facebook, which set off the crime. Under the guise of getting the watch back, Soultz and Torres visited Smith’s house the night of the murder. Evidence revealed that after Torres saw the watch and accused her of disrespecting him, he handcuffed Smith, beat him with his hands and a pistol, and then shot him in the head with a.45 caliber gun.
Twelve hours later, Smith’s adult son found her alive but unconscious. After being taken to a hospital, she passed away on March 31, 2023, from her wounds without being able to talk about the attack again.
Evidence demonstrated that Soultz deliberately supported Torres in the crime and collaborated with him to avoid capture, despite her claims that she was under pressure. The couple intended to get married, according to jail recordings, and Torres had promised to accept full responsibility for the crime in an effort to clear Soultz.
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