Plano sex abuse suspect may have more victims – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Authorities in Plano are trying to determine if a man accused of brutally attacking a woman has done it before.
Detectives say they are concerned there may be more victims given the suspect's criminal history and frequent activity on websites, both traditional dating applications and those used by escorts/sex workers.
Detaron Lee Fenley, 37, is in jail on $1 million bond, charged with aggravated assault. Plano police arrested Fenley on Oct. 3 and accused him of hitting and cutting a woman with a serrated kitchen knife.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the alleged attack occurred on September 24 at Studio 6 on Central Expressway in Plano. A woman came forward and reported the assault. She told investigators her attacker was someone she had never met before.
They connected “through a personal ad and WhatsApp” and agreed to meet at the hotel, the document said.
According to the affidavit, shortly after the woman let the suspect into her hotel room, the woman “quickly pulled out a knife, grabbed her around the throat with his other arm, and put the knife to her neck and a finger to his lips (as pointed out silent).'
The woman told police the suspect hit her and tried to tie her up with orange tape. She said she begged for her life and told the man she had children, documents show.
She said he started counting “1, 2, 3” while holding a serrated kitchen knife at her neck. The victim described the suspect's “light, almost green eyes, which made his eyes stay in her mind forever.” She says they struggled for about an hour, but she managed to crawl to the door to safety.
The woman's friends took her to the hospital, where she was treated and released, according to police.
Investigators reportedly found a large amount of blood in the hotel room and a “significant amount of damage to the victim's face,” including “her eyes were swollen shut and stitches were in her face.”
According to court documents, detectives have since collected surveillance video, license plate readers and cellphone data, as well as DNA evidence that would have led them to Fenley.
Police also referred to the suspect's description and Fenley's social media posts, which revealed what he was wearing on the day of the attack.
“Due to the physical evidence and injuries our victim sustained, we are grateful she is alive,” said Officer Andrae Smith of the Plano Police Department. “Due to the nature of his violence against our victim, we do not believe this is his first act.”
NBC 5 has learned that Fenley, an Allen resident, has been in contact with police in Dallas and Grand Prairie for domestic violence and violating a protective order.
“In addition, he has an active protective order against him that expires on 9/15/2025,” the affidavit said.
Detectives have since discovered that Fenley was a suspect in a 2020 sexual assault case in Dallas where he used a dating application to meet the victim. In that case, the victim indicated that she had opened the door, the suspect had forced his way in, grabbed her by the neck, forced her into the bedroom, punched her in the back of the head, covered her head with a pillow and held her down face. knocked her down and sexually assaulted her,” according to court documents.
Despite a DNA match, the victim in the 2020 case 'did not want to cooperate with the police'.
Plano police say the suspect's “MO” in the Dallas case is “similar to that used by the suspect in the Plano crime,” including disposing of the victims' cell phone.
It is not clear whether Fenley has hired an attorney.
Detectives released an image of Fenley's vehicle, a blue BMW two-door sedan with black rims, and urge anyone who had concerning contact with Fenley to call Plano PD's Special Victim's Unit Tip-Line at 972-941-2044no matter where they met him.
“The relevance of these women's professions does not matter. We're going to investigate it regardless of what platform it came from,” Smith said. “This is someone's daughter, someone's sister, someone who knows someone.”