Atlanta, Texas man accused of killing girlfriend in 2017 pleads not guilty at arraignment

TEXARKANA, Texas — A man who allegedly confessed to police that he killed his girlfriend in 2017 has pleaded not guilty at an arraignment hearing.

Russell Ryan Soule, 33, of Atlanta, Texas, was arraigned Monday in Bowie County 202nd District Court at the Bi-State Justice Building, with Judge John Tidwell presiding. Soule is charged with capital murder, murder, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault for the incidents, court records show. Bail was set at $1.25 million for the capital murder count, $1 million for the murder count and $500,000 for the other counts.

Soule was charged July 9 and booked into the Bowie County Correctional Facility on July 12, according to jail and court records. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 26, according to court records. Soule is represented by attorney John Delk.

The legal action comes after a grand jury dismissed Soule’s complaint in June.

“No bill” is a term used to describe a grand jury’s decision that there is insufficient evidence to indict someone on a criminal charge.

Soule was initially booked into jail on March 6 after his arrest in the murder of Lindsey Torres, 31, of Wake Village. His bail was set at $1 million.

On September 15, 2017, officers responded to a call about an unresponsive woman in an apartment in the 100 block of Redwater Road in Wake Village. Torres and Soule lived together in the apartment.

Torres was pronounced dead and an autopsy was ordered.

Autopsy results concluded that Torres died from drowning and other injuries. However, the cause of death has not been determined, according to the police department.

On March 5, Soule allegedly asked police to take him to a local emergency room for an evaluation, according to a probable cause affidavit. Soule allegedly told the officer who was driving him that he had killed his girlfriend.

When questioned at the hospital by an Atlanta Police Department detective, Soule reportedly said he strangled Torres in the bathtub after an argument.

Wake Village police traveled to Atlanta to question Soule, and he was taken into custody.