Lisa Dykes: Texas woman who fled US while awaiting trial found guilty in the murder of a Seattle woman

DALLAS, TEXAS: A Texas woman who fled the country after cutting off her ankle monitor while awaiting trial last year was found guilty of murder on Wednesday, December 13, in the fatal stabbing of a 23-year-old Seattle woman. She was sentenced to life in prison.

Lisa Dykes, 60, was convicted of murder and tampering with evidence in the 2020 killing of Marisela Botello-Valadez after a week trial by a jury in Dallas. The defendant seemingly stood impassive as a judge read the verdict aloud, according to KDFW-TV. "May God have mercy on your soul", the judge said after reading the sentence according to Daily Mail.

A lawyer for Dykes, Heath Harris, said his client maintains she is innocent and has already filed paperwork to appeal the verdict.

Two people were previously accused of killing Marisela Botello-Valadez

The conviction comes just days after prosecutors had dropped murder charges against two people who they'd previously accused of Botello-Valadez's killing. The accused duo, Nina Marano and Charles Anthony Beltran, still face trial on charges of tampering with evidence. Prosecutors moved to dismiss the murder charges soon after Beltran took the witness stand.

What happened on the day of Marisela Botello-Valadez's murder?

Beltran, 34, testified the previous week that he lived under the same roof alongside Marano and Dykes. He noted that he came across the victim at a nightclub and the two went to his house where they had sex. He said he fell asleep and awoke to screaming as Dykes stabbed Botello-Valadez. Under questioning by Harris, Beltran acknowledged that he initially lied to investigators about what had happened.

What did Lisa Dykes say?

On Tuesday and Wednesday, December 12 and December 13, Dykes testified that she did not know Botello-Valadez. She said her cellphone pinged near the location where the victim's body was discarded because she was picking up a package at a FedEx distribution center nearby. Dykes also claimed she was not in a relationship with Beltran but that they were only business associates. 

Where was Lisa Dykes arrested?

The three were arrested six months after Botello-Valadez went missing in October 2020. Her remains were found in some woods months after she was reported missing in Dallas. The case drew international attention last year when Dykes and Marano, 52, cut off their ankle monitors while free on a $500,000 bond.

Authorities said they eventually turned up in Cambodia where they were arrested by local police with help from the FBI.