Woman accused in Deep Ellum stabbing death testifies in her own defense
DALLAS - The woman charged with the stabbing death of Marisela Botello in Dallas' Deep Ellum area three years ago, took the stand in her defense.
Lisa Dykes is accused of murdering Marisela Botello, a 23-year-old visitor from Seattle in 2020. Botello's remains were not discovered until a year later. The investigation led to Dykes, Nina Merano, and Charles Beltran, who were all originally charged in connection with Botello's death.
However, in testimony on Monday, Beltran claimed that Dykes killed Botello in a jealous rage. Tuesday, during Dykes' testimony, she refuted these allegations, asserting that Beltran had brought unknown women to their house, and she had no involvement in causing Botello's death.
Dykes denied having any direct contact with Botello when questioned on the stand. She denied knowing Botello was in the house and insisted on not entering the room where the incident occurred.
Issues related to mishandled evidence led the District Attorney's office to dismiss murder charges against Beltran and Merano. Dykes is now using her testimony to counter the state's claims against her.