A Fort Worth man who drugged and fatally assaulted a woman was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Monday, April 6, officials said.
Kaleb Mickens, 34, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault/family violence for the brutal assault and drugging of Sheila Cuevas that led to her death, the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Mickens called 911 on Oct. 8, 2023, to falsely report that Cuevas had been attacked by his dog, Soldier, and was no longer breathing, prosecutors said. The dog was euthanized, but animal control officers later determined that it had nothing to do with the victim’s injuries and death, according to the release.
Mickens, who went by the nickname “Cash Cartier,” was well known in the multi-level marketing company IM Academy, where “he lured young people into joining his training team with the promise of making thousands of dollars,” prosecutors said in the release. “He used his perceived wealth and status to manipulate men and women with threats and promises while hiding his very violent private persona.”
Several women delivered impact statements at Monday’s sentencing hearing that included details of “torment, torture, manipulation and sexual assault,” according to the DA’s Office. “Each shared their message of survival and personal devastation that Cuevas did not survive.”
Cuevas’ brother addressed the defendant and said, “there can be no justice that brings Sheila back, but there can be outcomes, and there can be accountability and you deserve this.”
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Mickens was also sentenced to 20 years on a probation revocation for an aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and 15 years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Dallas County. Each offense involved different women Mickens had been in a relationship with, according to the release.
The case was investigated by Arlington police.