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Affidavit: Man was beaten, bound and robbed before dying in Dallas motel room

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Affidavit: Man was beaten, bound and robbed before dying in Dallas motel room


Four people conspired to rob a man of a few thousand dollars before two of them beat him unconscious and tied him up in a far northeast Dallas motel room where he was later found dead, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit.

Shaun Michael Smith, 48, was found dead by police at about 11:45 a.m. on Aug. 11 in the 11500 block of Plano Road, police said Wednesday. Four people, Byron Louis Nelson, 56; Jared Collin Russell, 27; Deanna Marie Palmer, 23; and Marissa Krystin Mitchell, 36; have been arrested and face murder charges in his death, police said.

Dallas police: Four facing murder charges in August death

According to a Dallas police arrest affidavit, police were called after a housekeeper entered a room at the motel and found Smith dead with his hands and feet tied behind his back. The furniture in the room was in disarray, consistent with signs of a struggle, investigators wrote in the affidavit.

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Police learned Smith had rented the motel room at about 4:30 a.m. Aug. 10. Officers reviewed surveillance footage and found Smith had spent the day coming and going from the motel room with a woman, who was identified as Mitchell after police determined the two had arrived at the motel in a car registered to her.

During the evening of Aug. 10, Mitchell and Smith were inside his motel room when a Ford F150 arrived at the motel, the affidavit said. Three people were seen on security footage entering Smith’s motel room, and shortly after they entered, Mitchell and a woman, later identified by police as Palmer, left the room. Mitchell was then seen leaving the motel in her car, and shortly after, two men left Smith’s motel room.

The two men and Palmer then got into the F150 and left the scene.

Police later interviewed Mitchell, who told police she and Smith had spent several days together at her house before going to the motel. Mitchell told police Smith was in possession of a large amount of cash, roughly a few thousand dollars, and said she left the motel room after she and Smith got into an argument.

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Mitchell stated the first names of the two men, the affidavit said. The F150 was found to be registered to Russell, and Mitchell also provided a phone number that police connected to Nelson. Mitchell later identified Nelson and Russell as the two men at the motel room when shown pictures by police, the affidavit said.

Police then obtained a robbery warrant for Russell, and he was arrested Aug. 28. Palmer was with him at the time of his arrest, and both were taken to Dallas Police Headquarters. Palmer told police she, Russell and Nelson were informed Smith had a large amount of cash on him, and were called to the motel room by Mitchell with the intent of robbing Smith.

Russell told police after Mitchell and Palmer left the room, he assaulted Smith by punching him in the ribs and putting him in a chokehold, leaving him unconscious. Russell then said he took money from Smith’s pocket and Nelson tied him up with a phone charger, the affidavit said.

The four then met later to divide the money, Palmer and Russell told police.

According to the affidavit, Smith was found to have injuries to his head and broken bones, and the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office told police Smith’s injuries and the restraining of his hands and feet contributed to his death. The medical examiner’s case file said Smith’s time of death was 7:50 a.m., roughly four hours before he was found by police.

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All four face a capital murder charge, according to jail records, while Russell also faces a robbery charge. Russell, Mitchell and Palmer were arrested in late August, while Nelson was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service on Tuesday.

As of Thursday, Russell is being held without bail in the Dallas County jail, while Palmer is being held on $250,000 bail and Mitchel is being held on $1 million bail in the Dallas County jail.

Nelson is in the custody of the Gregg County jail in East Texas on $1.14 million bail. It is unclear if any of the four have retained an attorney.



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Dallas, TX

Wings’ top pick Azzi Fudd hosts clinic as Cash App donates to Dallas nonprofit

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Wings’ top pick Azzi Fudd hosts clinic as Cash App donates to Dallas nonprofit


The Dallas Wings’ top draft pick hosted a basketball clinic for young girls through a partnership with Cash App, supporting the nonprofit Raise Hope. The event included skills training, a $35,000 donation to the organization, and a $100 donation per participant. The segment also previewed major men’s sports matchups happening the same night.



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Dallas, TX

Trackdown: Dallas 7-Eleven robbery suspect wanted

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Trackdown: Dallas 7-Eleven robbery suspect wanted


Dallas police need a name for a dangerous robber who pulled a gun on a 7-Eleven clerk and walked out with the cash register drawer.

He was caught on camera. But it’s been six months, and he’s still at large.

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7-Eleven Robberies

What we know:

The robbery in question happened on Jan. 13 around 10:30 p.m. at the store at 302 North Marsalis Avenue.

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A Black male who is about 5 feet 8 inches tall and about 170 to 180 pounds walked in and waited until no other customers were inside.

“After it’s empty, he displays a handgun and points it at the cashier,” said Det. Eduardo Lopez Villa. “I don’t know what he said. He just demanded the cash from the cash register.”

Det. Villa said the suspect took the whole cash register drawer before fleeing eastbound on foot on 8th Street.

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What you can do:

The detective believes anyone who knows the suspect will be able to recognize him.

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“Yes, most definitely based on the video and the screenshot. If you know him, you’ll recognize him,” he said. 

Tipsters can call or text Det. Villa at 469-755-8445.

“I need his information so I can talk to him about this incident,” he said.

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FOX 4’s Trackdown

You can watch Shaun Rabb’s Trackdown series every Wednesday on FOX 4. Episodes are also posted weekly online, on YouTube and on FOX Local.

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FOX 4 viewers have now helped to make 220 arrests.

The Source: The information in this story comes from Dallas Police Det. Eduardo Lopez Villa.

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Dallas, TX

Dallas weighs $500 million‑plus repair plans as City Hall’s future comes up for debate

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Dallas weighs 0 million‑plus repair plans as City Hall’s future comes up for debate


Dallas officials are weighing two costly options for City Hall’s future: either relocate entirely or spend more than half a billion dollars on repairs. One proposal would cost about $532 million over six years, while a second plan would spread repairs over a decade at an estimated cost of $557 million. The City Council is expected to outline the next steps on the project tomorrow.



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