FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — An Indiana woman will serve at least 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in the 2023 killing of a West Virginia woman, a crime sparked by a dispute over a $50 pawned watch.
Amanda Don Soultz, 32, of Elkhart, Indiana, entered the plea on December 6 before Circuit Judge Paul M. Blake, Jr. As part of a plea agreement, Soultz was sentenced to life in prison with eligibility for parole after 15 years. Formal sentencing is scheduled for February 11, 2025.
Soultz and her co-defendant, Andres M. Torres, Jr., also from Indiana, were charged in connection with the February 16, 2023, murder of 41-year-old Michelle Ann Smith at her home on Deepwater Mountain Road. Torres, 38, was convicted on October 31, 2024, of first-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery, and conspiracy following a jury trial. He is set to be sentenced on January 30, 2025.
According to prosecutors, the crime was triggered when Torres became enraged after learning that Smith, who had pawned his watch for $50, was attempting to sell it on Facebook. On the night of the murder, Soultz and Torres went to Smith’s home under the pretense of retrieving the watch. Evidence showed that Smith was restrained with handcuffs, beaten by Torres with his fists and a pistol, and ultimately shot in the head with a .45 caliber firearm after Torres found the watch and accused her of “disrespecting” him.
Smith was discovered alive but unresponsive by her adult son 12 hours later. She was transported to a hospital but succumbed to her injuries on March 31, 2023, without regaining the ability to speak about the attack.
While Soultz claimed she acted under duress, evidence showed she actively assisted Torres in the crime and worked with him to evade capture. Jail recordings also revealed that the pair planned to marry and that Torres had offered to take sole responsibility for the crime in hopes of exonerating Soultz.
