A man pleaded guilty to murder Monday morning for the slaying of Muhlaysia Booker, a transgender woman who was fatally shot in 2019.
Kendrell Lavar Lyles, 37, was sentenced to 48 years in prison after accepting a deal with prosecutors. He faces two additional murder charges in Collin County, according to court records.
Booker, 22, was found about 6:30 a.m. May 18, 2019, in the 7200 block of Valley Glen Drive, near Ferguson Road in Far East Dallas. A month prior, a video that circulated online showed Booker being punched and kicked repeatedly in the parking lot of an apartment complex. She suffered a concussion and broken wrist from the beating.
Muhlaysia Booker, 23, was shot and killed in May, about a month after she was beaten at an east Oak Cliff apartment complex
“The resolve was correct,” Lyles’ attorney, Richard Franklin, told The Dallas Morning News from inside the downtown Dallas courtroom. Jury selection was slated to begin Monday.
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The Dallas County District Attorney’s office declined to comment.
Family and friends of Booker are expected to face her killer and make victim impact statements Thursday.
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Police wrote in an arrest-warrant affidavit that Booker had been picked up in South Dallas about three hours earlier by someone in a light-colored early 2000s Lincoln LS without a front license plate.
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A witness who picked Lyles out of a photo lineup told police he was known to frequent the 2800 block of Lagow Street “to meet with transgender prostitutes,” the affidavit said. Another person confirmed that a champagne-colored 2001 Lincoln LS parked in front of a West Dallas apartment building belonged to Lyles.
Police searched Lyles’ cellphone records and determined his phone was in the area at the time of the shooting and that it then was in the same areas as Booker’s phone afterward, according to the affidavit.
Lyles also faces charges in the slayings of 35-year-old Leticia Grant and 29-year-old Kenneth Cichocki.
Grant was found May 22, 2019, outside the Chatham Court Apartments in the 7800 block of McCallum Boulevard in Far North Dallas. She had been shot in the head and died two days later.
According to police, Lyles had been in communication with Grant shortly before her death and his cellphone was in the area where she was found. A witness also told police they had confronted Lyles after learning of Grant’s death, and Lyles admitted to being in the area when she was shot but denied shooting her, according to an affidavit.
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A little more than 24 hours after Grant’s shooting, police said Cichocki was shot in a nearby AutoZone parking lot.
Police wrote in an affidavit that Cichocki had been in contact with Lyles on Facebook Messenger about the sale of Xanax earlier that night. He sent a message at 10:09 p.m. saying he was at the parking lot, and was found six minutes later with a gunshot wound to his neck, police said.
A witness who was in the car with Lyles at the time of the shooting told police Cichocki leaned into the driver’s side window and the witness “almost immediately heard a gunshot,” an affidavit says. The witness, who told police she didn’t know why Cichocki had come up to her car, drove away. Cichocki died six days later.
The Dallas Cowboys have officially decided to part ways with Mike McCarthy, who has arguably been the team’s best head coach in the last two decades.
Dallas faces the challenge of finding a new leader to guide the franchise to glory. Given McCarthy’s track record, there’s hope that the Cowboys already have a few viable candidates in mind
One name that stands out is Kellen Moore, a former Cowboys quarterback and offensive coordinator. Moore has familiarity with the organization, which could make him an ideal candidate.
MORE: 4 candidates to replace Mike McCarthy as Cowboys head coach
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Over the last two seasons, Moore has had stints with the Los Angeles Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles.
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His time with the Chargers was brief, lasting only the 2023 season, but in 2024, he joined the Eagles, where he helped orchestrate the NFL’s top-ranked rushing attack. His impact was evident as Philadelphia secured a playoff win against the Green Bay Packers.
MORE: Cowboys missed out on Hall of Fame coach by Jerry Jones dragging his feet
Moore had several seasons in Dallas where the Cowboys boasted one of the league’s top offenses in terms of points per game, and his close relationship with quarterback Dak Prescott would make for a smooth transition.
Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore talks to quarterback Dak Prescott during joint practice against the Los Angeles Chargers. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Given his success with the Eagles’ offense and his proven track record in Dallas, Moore could be an excellent candidate to lead the Cowboys into their next chapter.
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The Cowboys certainly dropped the ball with their decision regarding Mike McCarthy. Not only have they parted ways with McCarthy at a crucial time, but they’ve also missed the window to interview Kellen Moore this past week.
Now, Dallas will have to wait for the opportunity to speak with Moore, potentially complicating their coaching search.
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Dallas Stars (27-14-1, in the Central Division) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (27-15-2, in the Atlantic Division)
Toronto; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Dallas Stars face off in a non-conference matchup.
Toronto has a 17-8-0 record at home and a 27-15-2 record overall. The Maple Leafs have gone 25-2-1 in games they score at least three goals.
Dallas is 11-9-0 in road games and 27-14-1 overall. The Stars have a 21-3-0 record when scoring three or more goals.
The teams meet Tuesday for the second time this season. The Maple Leafs won 5-3 in the previous meeting. William Nylander led the Maple Leafs with two goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mitchell Marner has scored 14 goals with 45 assists for the Maple Leafs. John Tavares has five goals and five assists over the past 10 games.
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Matt Duchene has 16 goals and 22 assists for the Stars. Jamie Benn has scored six goals with four assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Maple Leafs: 6-4-0, averaging 2.9 goals, 5.3 assists, 2.7 penalties and 6.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.
Stars: 8-1-1, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.8 assists, 2.3 penalties and 4.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game.
INJURIES: Maple Leafs: None listed.
Stars: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Still image taken from video of stranded passengers waiting for help in Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas, United States, on Saturday, 11 January, 2025. Photo / Carina Fischer
“Everyone went crazy in the plane. It was bonkers. Everyone was yelling, and at the end, the pilot made the announcement and everyone started chanting ‘new crew, new crew’,” Ruhlman.
“I have to go to work. I’m obviously not going to be able to work on Monday. I was supposed to arrive in Auckland on Friday morning,” Ruhlman said.
Carina Fischer, of Remuera, described the scene in the terminal as “a nightmare”.
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Fischer said: “Everyone is crying. Kids are screaming.”
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She said a relative had helped her buy a hotel room, but she had been washing her clothes in the sink and drying them with a hairdryer.
She was also worried about her child who has ADHD, saying he was without his medication as well.
She claimed American Airlines was “not helpful, not helpful at all”.
Ruhlman echoed that sentiment: “They literally don’t care that they ruined people’s holidays and so many plans – and sanity.”
She said a group of passengers were planning to write to the airline’s chief executive asking for compensation.
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“I’m so tired and still in my same clothes as Wednesday. It’s Monday …”
American Airlines was approached for comment on Saturday, but had yet to respond by Monday morning.
The flight, American Airlines 55, was due to leave the US on Wednesday, but after several false starts, the passengers were still waiting in the terminal on Saturday morning. Photo / Carina Fischer
Another passenger, Sarah Botwright was due to be in New Zealand for a holiday to see her friend, said she had to be home in Ohio and she would likely have to cancel her whole trip to Godzone.
“My luggage will be going to New Zealand regardless of whether I go or not, though,” she said.
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“It’s just insane,” she said of the situation.
Local daily paper the Dallas Morning News reported more than 600 flights to and from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field had been cancelled as of 5pm Friday (12pm, Saturday, NZ).
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More than 800 flights were also delayed. American Airlines flights were the most impacted by the delays, the Dallas Morning News said.
The paper said the delays were due to a snowstorm in North Texas on Thursday which left a dumping of snow and icy conditions.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
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