TX - Marisela Botello, 23, Dallas (from Seattle), 5 Oct 2020 - Map, Media, Timelines *NO DISCUSSION*

[PommyMommy]

JUN 16, 2021
Trio indicted in death of Seattle woman who went missing in Dallas (dallasnews.com)
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Police had arrested them on capital murder charges, but the grand jury returned murder indictments which carry a punishment ranging from 5 to 99 years in prison or a life sentence with the possibility of parole.

Capital murder is more severe and carries just two punishment options: life in prison without parole or the death penalty. In order to prove capital murder, prosecutors must be able to show the killing was committed during another crime like a burglary or a kidnapping.

[...]

Prosecutors chose to present the case as a murder instead of capital murder to the grand jury, said Tasha Tsiaperas, a spokeswoman for Dallas County District John Creuzot.

“It’s not uncommon that the law enforcement agency submits a charge that is evaluated by the intake prosecutors and then a different charge is presented to the grand jury,” Tsiaperas said. “Because the grand jury proceedings are secret, we can’t go into detail on what was presented in the case.”

Marano doesn’t yet have a lawyer listed in court records. Dykes’ attorney, Heath Harris, said he has yet to see all the evidence but anticipates he’ll soon receive it now that the case has been presented to a grand jury.

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“He told [police] his version of events, and I just don’t see any evidence that disputes that,” Hayes said.

... Cellphone records placed phones belonging to Dykes and Marano in the area where Botello’s body was found, according to the affidavit.

“I think it’ll turn out that they’re the people who committed this horrible act,” Hayes said.

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 5, 2022
Marisela Botello case: Couple charged with murder flee while out on bond
... On Christmas morning, court documents reveal each of their GPS ankle monitors were disabled within four minutes of each other.

The last known location was a South Good Latimer Expressway intersection in Dallas.

Electronic monitoring officers called, texted, and emailed the women, but they never responded, according to documents.

JAN 6, 2022
Pair Charged With Murdering Seattle Woman In Dallas Takes Off While Free On Bond

Nina Marano, 50, and her wife, Lisa Dykes, 58, were free on their $500,000 bonds when they removed their GPS trackers on Christmas Day within moments of each other and at the same location, according to court documents filed this week in Dallas.

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 6, 2022
Marisela Botello-Valadez case: Suspects skip bond in Texas | wfaa.com
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... The bond was posted by an attorney in Frisco, not a bail bondsman.

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According to court documents, the GPS signal to both Dykes and Marano's ankle monitors was lost on Christmas Day.

Two days later, officers sent texts and emails to their last known numbers to no avail.

On Jan. 4, Dallas County was notified that the pair had absconded and needed to be picked up again.

That means the duo had at least a ten-day head start on authorities. The pair also left Texas to go to Florida while police investigated the murder.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 6, 2022
Married lesbian couple charged with murder of Seattle woman are on the run | Daily Mail Online

• GPS devices were being monitored by a private security company on behalf of the Dallas County Pretrial Services' Electronic Monitoring Bond Division
• Dallas County authorities only learned of abscondment 10 days later

 

[PommyMommy]

Marisela Botello-Valadez case: Suspects skip bond in Texas | wfaa.com
Botello-Valadez's aunt, Dennesly Castillo, told WFAA she's furious.

"It's definitely not been easy--that's for sure," Castillo said. "It's completely frustrating--we were expecting this after they posted bond, and here we are now."

Castillo was unhappy that the two could achieve a release in the first place. The bond was posted by an attorney in Frisco, not a bail bondsman.

"They got to spend the holidays together, I assume, in the comfort of their house instead of being locked away," Castillo said. "We don't have that option. We don't have the option to ever be able to sit there with Marisela again and celebrate or be out and about."

 

[PommyMommy]

The married couple bailed out of jail in May of 2021. This past Christmas morning, within only four minutes of each other, both of their ankle monitors became disabled. The company of the monitors tried reaching out to them and received no response.

Dennesly Castillo, the victim’s aunt, stated, “Until we have them back in custody and they are finally given a sentence, I don’t think there’s going to be any closure for us.”
Married Couple out on Bail after Alleged Murder Now on the Run

Suspects in Seattle Woman’s Death Skip Bond. According to court documents, Nina Marano and her wife, Lisa Dykes, cut their GPS trackers on Christmas and fled. They each had a bond of half a million dollars, charged with fatally stabbing 23-year-old Marisela Botello-Valadez in October after she was abducted leaving a Deep Ellum nightclub. The two were arrested in Florida and were on house arrest after bailing out. Dallas County wasn’t notified until January 4 that the two had skipped town.
FrontBurner Archives - Page 3 of 3473 - D Magazine

 

[PommyMommy]

According to local reports, including those from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, KDFW and WFAA, court documents filed this week in Texas allege Nina Marano, 50, and her wife, 58-year-old Lisa Dykes, simultaneously removed their GPS trackers on Christmas Day.

Dykes and Marano are two of the three people arrested in June 2021 by Dallas Police for their alleged involvement in the stabbing death of 23-year-old Marisela Botello-Valadez.

Marano and Dykes were out on house arrest after each posted $500,000 bonds for their release — bonds that officials now allege they have skipped.
Texas Couple Accused of Murdering Young Woman Posted Bond then Vanished on Christmas Day

 

[PommyMommy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1497738379311648776

FEB 26, 2022

Marisela Botello case: Couple charged with murder caught in Cambodia after fleeing

Two women charged with the murder of a Seattle woman, whose body was found months after she disappeared from Deep Ellum, have been taken into custody in Cambodia after they fled while out on bond.

www.fox4news.com

The FBI assisted law enforcement in Cambodia with taking the couple into custody. No further details were released about their arrest or how authorities tracked them down.

 

[PommyMommy]

FEB 28, 2022
Pair charged in Seattle woman's death arrested in Cambodia - The Washington Post
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Dykes’ lawyer, Heath Harris, told The Dallas Morning News that their fleeing wasn’t evidence of guilt. He said the women feared Charles Beltran, who was also charged in the death.

“I don’t believe they fled because they felt they were guilty of murder,” Harris said. “I believe they fled because they are concerned for their safety and they didn’t want to have to cooperate against the co-defendant.”

 

[PommyMommy]

Two arrested in homicide of Marisela Botello Valadez​

The couple was located in January 2022 in Cambodia, then arrested on February 24, 2022, for an immigration violation. The couple was brought back to Dallas on May 24, 2022.

 

[PommyMommy]

JUN 1, 2022

Judge sets $4 million bail for women accused in murder who fled to Cambodia​

Two women accused in a murder case now face much-higher bail after authorities say they cut off their GPS monitors and fled to Cambodia after bonding out of...
www.dallasnews.com
Two women accused in a murder case now face much-higher bail after authorities say they cut off their GPS monitors and fled to Cambodia after bonding out of custody last year.

State District Judge Amber Givens set bail at $4 million Wednesday for Lisa Jo Dykes, 59, and Nina Tamar Marano, 50.

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Prosecutors asked the judge Wednesday to set the women’s bail at $5 million. Defense lawyers asked for $500,000 — the same bail the women previously had.

“It does not appear that the $500,000 and [electronic leg monitor] was sufficient to get your clients to appear in court and abide by the bond conditions,” Givens said as she issued her ruling.

[...]

The trio are scheduled to stand trial in September.

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 21, 2023

Marisela Botello-Valadez death: Jury selection for 2 suspects begins Monday​

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 24, 2023

Dallas police detective fails to turn over hundreds of pieces of evidence in high-profile murder case​

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Nina Marano is one of three people charged in this case and her trial was supposed to begin Monday.

But the trial was delayed after it was discovered Dallas Police detectives had not turned over all the evidence in the case.

Prosecutors said they received a thumb drive over the weekend from the lead detective with more than 300 pictures, audio recordings and body camera video they had never seen.

[...]

Prosecutors said in court they repeatedly asked Dallas Police for the evidence – including body camera footage of searches and interviews with witnesses. Prosecutors say they are still missing a video from the search of a home, and were told the lead detective would bring the video to them Monday morning, but they say they never received it.

Botello’s family says they don’t like the delay but are willing to wait if it means a stronger case.

“It doesn’t matter how long we have to wait or how many times we have to come here, what we want is justice,” said EV, Botello’s mother.

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Meanwhile, Givens has reset the trial for March.

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 26, 2023

Murder trial delayed after Dallas police failed to turn over evidence, lawyers say​

Just weeks after a judge warned the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office had a “widespread” problem with police departments not turning over evidence until just before trials begin, a murder case in the same judge’s court was delayed because Dallas police supplied evidence at the last minute.

Nina Marano was scheduled to stand trial this week on charges of murder and tampering with a corpse in the 2020 slaying of Marisela Botello Valadez, who was visiting Dallas from Seattle. But Marano’s lawyers asked for a delay after prosecutor Robin Pittman informed them on Friday of additional videos and photos in the case that Dallas police had not previously provided.

State District Judge Amber Givens granted the request to delay the case, defense lawyer Valerie Baston said. A hearing to determine whether all the case evidence was submitted is slated for next week. [Jan. 30, 2023]

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 27, 2023

Murder Trial Delayed by DPD Evidence Failure​

dallasexpress.com
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Hilda Duarte, a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), told The Dallas Express that she has been advocating for the family since October 5. LULAC is a civil rights activist group that has advocated for the family of Botello-Valadez.

“I was at the hearing on Monday for 9 hours,” she said. “Detectives Ramirez & Ortiz failed to submit more than 325 pieces of evidence; audio, body cam videos & pictures! Due to this failure, the case for Nina Marano was reset to March 27th. Cases for Beltran & Dykes will be heard in Feb & April.”

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“Judge Amber Givens did an excellent job in reprimanding and scolding State attorneys (Pitman & Brown), for the ‘botched job’ and DA Creuzot was summoned twice to the court: the 282nd,” Duarte continued. “The family was disappointed but preferred the delay to a mistrial or appeal.”

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[PommyMommy]

FEB 13, 2023

Dallas judge holds hearing on missing evidence in murder trial for suspect accused in woman’s death​

The trial in the death of 23-year-old Marisela Botello is on hold. Botello disappeared in the Deep Ellum area after going out alone in October 2020.

 

[PommyMommy]

FEB 17, 2023

Dallas murder case could be in jeopardy as detective holds back and loses evidence - Hinte​

The defense filed a motion to dismiss the murder and tampering with evidence charges against Marano. The judge said she’ll rule on their request on the day of trial, which she set this week for March 27.

 

[PommyMommy]

5 things to know about Dallas police’s 52,000 untagged files and how it could impact cases​

Feb. 21, 2023
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During the three-day hearing last week, police revealed nearly 500 videos were not given to prosecutors before the scheduled trial and 18 videos were deleted because they were either not categorized or saved correctly. The judge is expected to rule on whether to dismiss the case at the next trial setting, March 27.

 

[PommyMommy]

FEB 23, 2023

District Attorney reviewing Dallas police file storage procedures​

The Dallas County DA's Office is working with police to sort through thousands of uncategorized digital files that may contain important investigative information.

In a statement released Thursday, Dallas DA John Creuzot said he is engaging in "constant dialogue" with Dallas police Chief Eddie Garcia regarding the situation.

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Creuzot also said that his office is working with the department to run a complete audit of the files associated with the cases Detective Christine Ramirez led or was involved with, including a case involving a Seattle woman who was allegedly stabbed to death by two women in Dallas in 2020.

In a Feb. 15 hearing, Ramirez admitted to improperly storing files associated with Nina Marano's case. Those files may have been permanently deleted, and the defense has asked for the case to be dismissed.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

FEB 23, 2023

Dallas DA Calls for Wider Review of Dallas Police Evidence Problems​

Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot Thursday announced an audit of every case touched by a Dallas Police detective involved in a high-profile murder case that defense attorneys want to be dropped over missing evidence.

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The new case in the 282nd District Court is a pending trial for the 2020 murder of Marisela Botello Valadez. ...

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“Whether it's material to the court, material to the defense material to the state, we'll never know that because we don't have it,” Harris said.

In court records, Harris said 18 videos recorded as evidence at the Mesquite house where the murder allegedly occurred have disappeared.

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Separately from Ramirez, Police also confirm they have another data issue under review with 52,000 files that were improperly cataloged. In an email Thursday, police said the number of files still in question is down to 13,000.

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