On Friday, murder charges were dropped against the wife and boyfriend of a woman on trial for the murder of a Seattle woman who disappeared in Dallas more than three years ago.
The Dallas County District Attorney's Office asked a judge to dismiss the charges against Nina Marano and Charles Beltran “in the interest of justice,” according to court documents. Both men still face charges of tampering with evidence in the death of 23-year-old Maricela Botero Valadez, whose body was found on a rural road in southern Dallas County. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison.
It was not immediately clear why the murder charge was dismissed. A spokesperson for the prosecutor's office declined to comment. Mr. Beltran's lawyer could not be reached for comment.
“We have known for some time that the state would likely dismiss the Marano murder case because of Beltran.[’s] Here’s an update on what happened,” Marano’s attorney Heath Harris said in a text message. “Bertrand has told too many lies to be trusted.”
Harris is also representing a third suspect, Lisa Dykes, 60, who is charged with murder and mutilation of a corpse for allegedly stabbing Botello to death. If Dykes is convicted of murder, she could face life in prison. Prosecutors rested Monday night after five days of testimony. The defense is scheduled to make arguments Tuesday morning.
Beltran testified against Dykes last week, saying he witnessed her attack Botero and saw her bloody nightgown. Harris told jurors in his opening statement that Beltran is a habitual liar who repeatedly changes his interpretation of what happened on October 5, 2020. Mr. Beltran initially told his friends that he dropped Mr. Botello off near Baylor University Medical Center after the meeting, fearing that police would return home immediately. Because of his criminal history, he is arrested as a suspect.
Witnesses said Dykes, Marano and Beltran lived together and had a physical and romantic relationship. Dykes supported Beltran's budding rap career, and Beltran gave Dykes a companion. Mr. Dykes then married Mr. Marano, a recently widowed lawyer, and the three of them moved into a house in Mesquite together. Lawyers have described Beltran as a freeloader womanizer who allegedly continued to pursue other women.
Botero flew to Dallas for a “vacation from Seattle” and to visit an old friend. Botello's mother described her as a cheerful and trusting young woman who loved to travel, she said. Botero, wearing a sparkly purple dress, went out alone in Deep Ellum late on Oct. 4, 2020, and met Beltran on the sidewalk. Beltran, who took the stand last week, said they headed to Mesquite in the early morning hours of Oct. 5.
Prosecutors portrayed Dykes as a jealous, fed-up lover who murdered Botero in a twisted, passionate rage.
Beltran told the jury, which consisted of eight men and six women, that Dykes woke up on top of Botero, holding a knife and making stabbing motions. He said he pushed Dykes, knocking her and Botero to her floor. According to the arrest warrant, Beltran told police that Marano came into the room and pushed him. But on the stand, he said he saw Marano running from the house and lying in bed.
Beltran claimed that when Dykes attacked Botero, he “told him not to bring any more girls.” He said Dykes' white nightgown was stained with blood. “Why are you disrespecting us?”
Beltran said he tried to wake Botero up, but she wouldn't move. He got dressed and ran away. The trio then traveled back and forth to Florida, Pennsylvania, and at times into Mexico, where they were arrested and extradited to Texas. Dykes and Marano later fled to Cambodia and were rearrested.
Botero's body was discovered in March 2021 on a farm and wooded area in Willmar after someone setting out traps for feral cats found the bones and alerted authorities. Photos and videos from the crime scene showed a skull and femur poking out of the mud just off the road. According to testimony, the bones showed no signs of trauma, but were weathered and appeared to have been attacked by an animal.
Marano's murder trial became a flashpoint for the Dallas Police Department's digital storage problems. During a three-day hearing earlier this year, it was revealed that the lead detective in the case did not turn over hundreds of pieces of evidence until just before the first trial date. Police said 18 videos and photos were permanently deleted because Detective Christine Ramirez did not save them properly.
Ramirez is still employed by the Dallas Police Department and may be asked to testify by Dykes' attorneys. Her prosecutors said they would not call her as their witness.
Marano's trial was delayed and stalled due to failed evidence. It is unclear whether that evidence affected Ms. Dykes' case or if it will be featured in her trial.
At a hearing in the Marano case, state District Judge Amber Givens admonished prosecutors for failing to ensure all evidence was turned over to defense attorneys long before trial. Dallas County prosecutors later asked Givens to be removed from supervising the three cases. Three cases were further delayed after a visiting judge granted the requests.
