Inset top: Kaleb Mickens (Tarrant County Sheriff's Office). Inset bottom: Sheila Cuevas (GoFundMe). Background: A photo appears to show Mickens, Cuevas, and his dog outside of a building (KDFW/YouTube).
A man in Texas will spend decades behind bars after authorities say he drugged and mercilessly beat his girlfriend to death — and then blamed it on his dog.
Kaleb Mickens, 34, was sentenced to 40 years after pleading guilty to first-degree aggravated assault related to family violence, the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office announced. The case stems from the death of Sheila Cuevas.
The defendant was also sentenced to 20 years "on a probation revocation" for aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and 15 years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Dallas County, the DA's office added, noting that these charges "were perpetrated against different women with whom he had relationships."
Mickens was a "prominent figure" in the multi-level marketing platform called IM Academy, authorities say. He "lured young people into joining his training team with the promise of making thousands of dollars."
The defendant — who went by "Cash Cartier" — used his "perceived wealth and status to manipulate men and women with threats and promises while hiding his very violent private persona," the DA's office added. Photos shared by regional Fox affiliate KDFW show him speaking at events and holding nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram, and prosecutors said he was making $20,000 a week at the peak of his success.
However, his income from the strategy was reportedly declining by the fall of 2023. Then came Oct. 8, 2023.
On that day, Mickens called 911 to report that Cuevas had been attacked by his dog, Soldier, and that she had stopped breathing. "The dog was taken and euthanized," authorities recall.
However, investigators later determined that the dog could not have caused the woman's injuries and death.
"She was found in their apartment at the foot of the bed, I would say head to toe beaten, bruised, swollen face, cauliflower ear, puncture wounds, she had 15 broken ribs," Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Allenna Bangs said.
Investigators identified Mickens as their suspect, but they say they were unable to bring a murder charge against him because of "complications" with the medical examiner and "proving the cause of death."
They reportedly never came to a determination as to why he drugged and beat her.
"In a full court room Monday, several women delivered impact statements that included details of torment, torture, manipulation, and sexual assault," the DA's office said. "Each shared their message of survival and personal devastation that Ms. Cuevas did not survive."
Cuevas' family, including her brother, directly addressed Mickens, saying, "You deserve this."
A GoFundMe for Cuevas — whose age at the time of her death is unclear — remembers her as "an amazing human being. Her smile and her kind heart, lit up every room she stepped in. We are certain she is resting blissfully in heaven."
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