A 32-year-old MMA fighter has been charged with murder in the stabbing death of his brother-in-law whose body was found partially wrapped in a blanket near a Spring creek, Texas.
Akira Keir Smith, who gave authorities a Spring address, was booked into the Harris County Jail Thursday in the death of 31-year-old Bernabe Torres. A fisherman discovered Torres’ body Wednesday afternoon, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Torres’ body had been partially wrapped in a blanket and dumped on the bank of a creek, officials said. An autopsy revealed Torres had 30 stab wounds on his body, a prosecutor said at Smith’s probable cause hearing. A ligature was also tied around his neck and his face was covered with a black plastic bag. Smith is scheduled to appear in court Monday. He is listed as a bantamweight mixed martial arts fighter with a professional record of four wins and three losses, according to mixedmartialarts.com. He is listed as having a suspended status and his last fight was in 2016, according to the site.