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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

2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule officially announced

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2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule officially announced


Behold the 2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule.

We knew coming into Thursday that the Cowboys would be on the road to take on the New York Giants in the season opener on Sunday Night Football, that Dallas is “hosting” the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil in Week 3, and that the Philadelphia Eagles would be in town for Thanksgiving Day. Now we know it all.

Among the first things that jump to mind is that bye week is late. Dallas isn’t on bye until Week 14, the Sunday of that week is December 13th for full perspective.

The Cowboys also only play twice in their own building, thanks to the Brazil game, before November. Sometimes those weird quirks show up in schedules and this is certainly one of them.

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It is interesting to see that the NFL gave Dallas the longest amount of rest possible after their Thanksgiving tilt. It hasn’t been uncommon for the league to have the Cowboys play on consecutive Thursdays, but perhaps that is a thing of the past.



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Dallas Approves $180,500 for New Botham Jean Boulevard Street Signs

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Dallas Approves 0,500 for New Botham Jean Boulevard Street Signs


A portion of South Lamar Street was officially renamed Botham Jean Boulevard in 2021.

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On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council approved funding that will replace highway exit signs and road signs marking Lamar Street with new signage honoring Botham Jean, the 26-year-old Dallas accountant who was fatally shot in his own apartment by an off-duty Dallas police officer in 2018. 

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The $180,500 in funding for 13 signs to be installed by the Texas Department of Transportation is the final step in the street renaming that was unanimously approved by the council in 2021. The new signs will be placed at exits along Interstate 45, State Highway 310 and U.S. Highway 175. 

Already, Botham Jean Boulevard signs run along the road in the Cedars, where Jean lived before he was killed. 

“This street on which he chose to live and the street on which he died can serve as a lasting memory of the upstanding resident who loved Dallas so much,” his mother, Allison Jean, told the council in 2021.  

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Jean was shot by Amber Guyger, a Dallas police officer, after she entered his apartment believing it was her own. A Dallas jury found Guyger guilty of murder in 2019 and sentenced her to 10 years in prison. She has also been ordered to pay the Jean family nearly $100 million in a civil trial, which accused her of using excessive force. 

The Jean family is seeking restitution from the city of Dallas because they argue that Dallas, as Guyger’s former employer, had a duty to defend Guyger and pay out claims brought against her. The Jean family filed suit against the city in April of this year.

On Wednesday, city council member Adam Bazaldua stated that the continued remembrance of Jean’s name is a reminder that “no one is above the law.” 

“This has never simply been about changing street signs; it has always been about commemorating a life that was taken too soon,” said Bazaldua. “When driving down Botham Jean Boulevard, we are reminded of the thousands of lives lost across the country each year to senseless gun violence.” 

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Bazaldua said that once city leaders were made aware that some signs from the initial 2021 street name change had not materialized, the horseshoe took steps to correct the oversight “somewhat promptly.” But he acknowledged that Wednesday’s funding came on the heels of community advocacy urging the project’s completion. 

Community leader Yafeuh Balogun said his organization, Community Movement Builders, began asking the city for the updated signs in September 2025. Addressing the council ahead of Wednesday’s vote, Balogun encouraged the horseshoe to vote in favor of the funds because it “would make no sense” to not follow through with the street renaming approved years ago. 

 “I think this is very powerful simply because driving here today, I still saw the Lamar Street Signs,” Balogun said. “I remember how powerful it was back in 2021 when the city council voted to rename Lamar Street to Botham Jean. I’d like to keep that legacy going.” 



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World Cup volunteers receive uniforms, new tickets released

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World Cup volunteers receive uniforms, new tickets released


We’re less than a month out from the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and North Texans volunteering in the event have received their uniforms. FOX 4’s Peyton Yager has more on that and the new hospitality tickets released today.



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