Current:Home > MarketsTexas prosecutors drop murder charges against 2 of 3 people in fatal stabbing of Seattle woman-InfoLens
Texas prosecutors drop murder charges against 2 of 3 people in fatal stabbing of Seattle woman
View Date:2024-12-23 14:06:35
DALLAS (AP) — Texas prosecutors have dropped murder charges against two people in the fatal stabbing of a 23-year-old Seattle woman as a trial continues with the third defendant.
The 2020 killing of Marisela Botello-Valadez drew international attention last year when two of the people arrested in her killing cut off their ankle monitors and left the country while free on bond. The dismissal of charges comes only days after a Texas man who cut of his ankle monitor went on a shooting rampage, drawing renewed attention to questions about the use of technology in freeing people ahead of their trials.
The trial of Lisa Dykes, who still faces murder charges, began last week and continued Monday. But newly public court records show that a judge approved prosecutors’ Friday motions to dismiss the murder charges against the other woman and a man also charged in Botello-Valadez’s killing “in the interest of justice.”
A Dallas County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson did not respond to a call and email Monday about why they dropped the murder charges against Nina Marano and Charles Anthony Beltran. They each still face a charge of tampering with evidence connected to the death of Botello-Valadez, whose remains were found in the woods months after she was reported missing in Dallas.
Lawyers for the pair and for Dykes did not respond to calls and emails from The Associated Press seeking comment. An attorney who represents Marano, 52, and Dykes, 60, told The Dallas Morning News that he expected the dismissals because Beltran’s account of events has been inconsistent.
Beltran, 34, testified Friday that he lived with Marano and Dykes. He said he met Botello-Valadez at a nightclub and the two went to his house, where they had sex. He said he fell asleep and awoke to screaming as Dykes stabbed Botello-Valadez. Under questioning by Dykes’ lawyer, Beltran acknowledged that he initially lied to investigators about what happened.
The trio were arrested six months after Botello-Valadez went missing in October 2020. Marano and Dykes were released on $500,000 bonds but last Christmas they simultaneously removed their GPS trackers and left the country, according to court records. They eventually turned up in Cambodia, where they were arrested by local police with help from the FBI.
Another Dallas killing last year prompted Texas lawmakers to enact a law making it a felony to cut off an ankle monitor. The new measure came into effect in September, weeks after authorities in San Antonio received a call about a man who had earlier cut off his ankle monitor having a mental health crisis.
Sheriff’s deputies didn’t arrest the man, Shane James Jr., during the August encounter and he has now been charged with capital murder in a series of shootings that left six people dead in Austin and San Antonio this month.
veryGood! (53)
Related
- Chipotle unveils cilantro-scented soap, 'water' cup candles in humorous holiday gift line
- Woman pleads guilty to stealing $300K from Alabama church to buy gifts for TikTok content creators
- Democratic delegates cite new energy while rallying behind Kamala Harris for president
- Simone Biles won’t be required to do all four events in Olympic gymnastics team final
- Voyager 2 is the only craft to visit Uranus. Its findings may have misled us for 40 years.
- Fans drop everything, meet Taylor Swift in pouring rain at Hamburg Eras Tour show
- The Founder For Starry Sky Wealth Management Ltd
- Nevada election officials ramp up voter roll maintenance ahead of November election
- Secret Service Agent Allegedly Took Ex to Barack Obama’s Beach House
- Minnesota school settles with professor who was fired for showing image of the Prophet Muhammad
Ranking
- The ancient practice of tai chi is more popular than ever. Why?
- What is Crowdstrike? What to know about company linked to global IT outage
- What's a capo? Taylor Swift asks for one during her acoustic set in Hamburg
- Can you guess Olympians’ warmup songs? World’s top athletes share their favorite tunes
- Kevin Costner Shares His Honest Reaction to John Dutton's Controversial Fate on Yellowstone
- Gunman opens fire in Croatia nursing home, killing 6 and wounding six, with most victims in their 90s
- Demonstrators stage mass protest against Netanyahu visit and US military aid to Israel
- Voters who want Cornel West on presidential ballot sue North Carolina election board
Recommendation
-
What to know about Mississippi Valley State football player Ryan Quinney, who died Friday
-
Reese's Pumpkins for sale in July: 'It's never too early'
-
Clashes arise over the economic effects of Louisiana’s $3 billion-dollar coastal restoration project
-
A plane slips off the runway and crashes in Nepal, killing 18 passengers and injuring the pilot
-
Contained, extinguished and mopping up: Here’s what some common wildfire terms mean
-
What Each Zodiac Sign Needs for Leo Season, According to Your Horoscope
-
Darryl Joel Dorfman Leads SSW Management Institute’s Strategic Partnership with BETA GLOBAL FINANCE for SCS Token Issuance
-
Conan O'Brien Admits He Was Jealous Over Ex Lisa Kudrow Praising Costar Matthew Perry