Texas Woman Found Guilty of Killing Tourist in 'Jealous Rage' After Seeing Her in Bed with Boyfriend

Lisa Dykes, 60, was convicted of murder and tampering with evidence in the 2020 killing of 23-year-old Marisela Botello-Valadez

A Texas woman will spend the rest of her life in prison after being convicted of fatally stabbing a tourist she found in bed with her boyfriend in a fit of “jealous rage” three years ago, prosecutors said.

On Wednesday, a Dallas County jury found Lisa Dykes, 60, guilty of murder and tampering with evidence in the killing of 23-year-old Marisela Botello-Valadez, Fox 4, WFAA, and NBC5 reported from the courtroom. Dykes was sentenced to life in prison for the murder and an additional 20 years for the tampering offense.

Botello-Valadez had come to Dallas from Seattle, Wash., on Oct. 2, 2020 to visit a friend, PEOPLE previously reported, citing investigators. Two days later, she took a Lyft from her friend's home and never returned. She had reportedly gone out alone to visit several nightclubs in the city's Deep Ellum entertainment district, where she had met a man named Charles Beltran.

Related: 3 Charged in Death of Seattle Woman Who Disappeared on Vacation in Texas

Prosecutors said Dykes went into a “jealous rage” and fatally stabbed Botello-Valadez after seeing her in bed with her boyfriend, Beltran, Fox 4 reports. According to prosecutors, Dykes had been in a three-way relationship with Beltran and her wife, Nina Marano.

However, during the trial, Dykes testified that Beltran was only a business associate of hers and their interests had shifted, WFAA reports. Prosecutors said Dykes then disposed of Botello-Valadez’s body.

Botello-Valadez’s body was found in a wooded area in Wilmer, Texas, five months later, on March 24, 2021, PEOPLE previously reported.

"For some reason, she lost it that night,” Dykes’ defense attorney, Heath Harris, said in court, according to Fox 4. “That’s sudden passion. That’s what you heard from the witness stand.” Harris has reportedly filed a notice of appeal.

The investigation led authorities to Dykes, Marano and Beltran. Dykes and Marano were arrested in Florida in March while Beltran was taken into custody in Utah in April. All three were charged with murder.

Dykes and Marano were arrested a second time in February 2022 after posting bond, and then allegedly removing their GPS monitors strapped to their ankles and fleeing to Cambodia, PEOPLE previously reported.

Related: Texas Couple Accused of Murdering Seattle Woman, Cutting GPS Monitors While Out on Bail Are Found in Cambodia

Using cell phone records, police were able to determine that Marano, Dykes and Beltran were with Botello-Valadez at the home of Dykes and Beltran in Mesquite, Texas, "on the last date [Botello-Valadez] was known to be alive," according to Marano’s arrest affidavit, which was previously reviewed by PEOPLE.

A search of Dykes' and Beltran's home "revealed that the carpet had been cleaned, but streaks of brown and red color, the appearance of blood, were underneath the carpet," the affidavit stated.

Last week, the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office filed motions to dismiss the murder charges against Beltran and Marano, both of whom testified during Dykes’ trial, NBC 5 reports.

At the sentencing hearing, Botello-Valadez’s brother said in a victim impact statement that his family is finding a way to move forward in their lives “despite this tragedy [that happened] to us,” according to Fox 4.

"I hope that you get what you deserve in that prison cell," Luis Botello-Valadez added, referring to Dykes.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.