A North Texas woman has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of the murder of 23-year-old Marisela Botello-Valadez, a tourist from Seattle who went missing after a night out in Dallas. Lisa Dykes, 60, was convicted on Wednesday and additionally received a 20-year sentence for tampering with evidence. The judge stated, "May God have mercy on your soul," upon delivering the life sentence, according to WFAA.
During the trial, Dykes insisted she had no association with the victim, claiming she was occupied with picking up a package at a FedEx center when her cell phone pinged in the vicinity where Botello-Valadez's body was later found. Dykes attempted to distance herself from the victim and co-defendant Charles Beltran, stating, "Chuck was and always continued to be a business interest that went sideways", per Hoodline.
Despite Dykes' testimony, prosecutors painted a different picture of a love triangle turned deadly, accusing her of killing Botello-Valadez in October 2020 after discovering her in bed with Beltran. They were all allegedly engaged in a three-person relationship, while Dykes tried to convince the jury that Beltran was only her business associate.
The case took a dramatic turn when the Dallas County district attorney's office dropped the murder charges against Beltran and Nina Marano, Dykes' partner, amidst the trial, leaving some perplexed. Former prosecutor Toby Shook stated, "It is rare, I'm not sure why they waited that long." Beltran, who took the stand against Dykes, pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and Marano is expected to face trial on the same charge in the new year, as per WFAA.
The discovery of Botello's blood in Dykes' home and the location data from her cell phone contributed to the jury's decision. Detective Stephen Prince testified about the critical link between Botello's last known location and Beltran's car, adding weight to the prosecution's argument. "We pulled the license plate picture of Mr. Beltran and it matched the person who walked with Marisela to that 7-Eleven that morning," Prince conveyed, as per Hoodline.
