An Allen man is in jail following a brutal sexual assault of a woman on September 24 in Plano, but investigators are concerned that the suspect may have harmed other persons as well.
Detaron Lee Fenley, 37, was arrested on October 3 for beating a woman who allegedly had defensive wounds on her hands from a knife, but all of her injuries were from Fenley’s hands. The victim and the suspect initially made contact via a personal ad and WhatsApp and agreed to meet at the Studio 6 hotel on Central Expressway.
When the woman opened the door to let the man into the hotel room, he grabbed her by the throat, put a knife to her neck, and warned her to be quiet, according to the police affidavit.
The woman said the man beat her and tried to bind her with orange tape while she begged for her life. She said she struggled with the man for about an hour before she managed to escape and crawl out the door to safety, per the affidavit.
The woman’s friends drove her to the hospital where she was treated and released. Investigators said the woman’s face showed a “significant amount of damage,” including stitches, and her eyes were swollen shut.
“From the physical evidence, the injuries sustained from our victim, we’re just thankful she’s still alive,” Plano Police Officer Andrae Smith said, per NBC 5 DFW.
Investigators found a large amount of blood in the hotel room and were able to gather DNA evidence, surveillance video, cell phone data, and information from a license plate reader, all of which led them to Fenley as the suspect in the case. The clothing he was wearing in a social media post matched the description of his clothing provided by the victim.
Given Fenley’s alleged criminal history and his frequent activity on dating and sex worker online platforms, investigators believe that Fenley may have committed violent acts against other persons, and may be preying on women in the sex industry in particular.
“By the nature of his violence perpetrated on our victim, we don’t believe that this is his first act,” said Smith.
Police in Dallas and Garland have had contact with Fenley in the past for family violence and for violating a protective order, NBC 5 DFW reported, and Fenley currently has an active protective order against him that expires on September 15, 2025.
Fenley was also a suspect in a 2020 sexual assault case in Dallas in which the perpetrator’s MO was similar to the recent attack in Plano, and his DNA matched the crime scene DNA, but the victim in that case “would not cooperate with the police,” according to the affidavit.
Detectives are asking anyone who has had concerning contact with Fenley to contact Plano PD’s Special Victim’s Unit Tip-Line at 972-941-2044. The suspect is known to drive a blue BMW two-door sedan with black rims.
“The relevance of what the occupation of these women is, it doesn’t matter. We’re going to investigate it regardless of what platform it came from,” said Smith, per NBC 5. “This is someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone who knows someone.”
Fenley is currently being held on a $1 million bond and is charged with aggravated sexual assault.
In nearby Dallas, violent crimes are an ongoing problem. As of October 22, 4,967 aggravated assaults have been reported in the city this year, according to the City of Dallas Crime Analytics dashboard.
The Dallas Police Department’s efforts to fight crime have been hampered by a shortage of officers and a limited budget. Currently, Dallas fields only about 3,000 sworn officers, despite a City analysis that recommended about 4,000 for a city of its size.
The Dallas Police Department’s budget was increased by about 10% for the fiscal year 2024-2025, but the $719 million figure is still far less than the budgets of other high-crime jurisdictions such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.
