MMA fighter who killed intruder won't be charged

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - A professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter says prosecutors' decision not to charge him in the fatal stabbing of an intruder at his New Mexico home is a relief.

The District Attorney's office in Las Cruces announced Thursday that an investigation did not produce evidence to prove that Joseph Torrez, 28, killed 25-year-old Sal Garces on Jan. 1 without legal justification.

Sheriff's officials have said Torrez fatally stabbed Garces after Garces and three other people forced their way into Torrez's Las Cruces home. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports Torrez knew the intruders, but their exact relationship remains unclear.

Torrez, his fiancée and a toddler were home at the time of the home invasion, deputies said. One of the men had threatened Torrez and his family in a phone call before the break-in, authorities said.

C.J. McElhinney, Torrez's attorney, said his client fought off the intruders, killing one and injuring another with "serious facial injuries." He said one man attacked Torrez with a handmade shank and another grabbed a kitchen knife.

An autopsy report obtained last month by CBS affiliate KRQE showed Garces's blood-alcohol content was nearly two times the legal limit at the time of the incident. It also revealed he had been stabbed four times in the chest.

The other suspects in the case were arrested, according to the station.

The Sun-News reports that Torrez spoke publicly about the matter for the first time Thursday after prosecutors announced their decision.

Torrez says he acted to protect himself and his family but that he finds it difficult to think about taking another man's life. "I don't wish that on nobody," he told the paper.