Collin County Man Gets Life Sentence for 2024 Plano Sexual Assault

A Collin County jury delivered the maximum punishment to an Allen man who held a woman at knifepoint, beat her unconscious, and sexually assaulted her at a Plano hotel in the early morning hours of September 24, 2024. Detaron Fenley, 39, was sentenced to life in prison for aggravated sexual assault and an additional 20 years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis announced the verdict on March 11, 2026.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Fenley contacted the victim online that morning for escort services; the two arranged to meet at the Studio 6 on Central Expressway in Plano. Moments after she allowed him into her room, Fenley "quickly pulled a knife, grabbed her around the throat with his other arm, and put the knife to her neck and a finger to his lips," according to court documents. He beat and slashed her with a serrated kitchen knife, tried to bind her with orange tape, and the victim, begging for her life and telling Fenley she had children, lost consciousness before being sexually assaulted. She was left with a broken nose, severe facial swelling and bruising, and was transported to the hospital.

Plano Police officers who responded found extensive blood throughout the hotel room and on the walls. Criminalists Susan Hassan, Ashley Canon, and Bao Nguyen processed the scene and recovered critical evidence. Hotel surveillance video captured Fenley arriving and leaving in a dark-colored BMW, and investigators used traffic cameras to trace the vehicle back to him. A search warrant executed at Fenley's Allen residence recovered the bloody clothing he wore during the assault. Detective Jonathan Hay, the lead investigator, interviewed Fenley and obtained a partial confession.

Prosecutors told the jury that Fenley deliberately targeted the victim because he believed her status as an undocumented immigrant made her less likely to report the crime to police. Fenley had communicated regularly with sex workers through dating apps and escort-service websites, according to police. Investigators expressed concern about additional victims from the time of his arrest in October 2024, and those concerns proved well-founded at trial. Prosecutors believe Fenley had approximately half a dozen other victims, some of whom testified against him. Fenley also has a documented history of prior arrests for assault, prior contact with police in Dallas and Grand Prairie for family violence, and a prior protective order violation, according to earlier reporting.

Plano Police arrested Fenley on October 3, 2024, using cell phone records and surveillance footage to locate him. He was held on a $1 million bond. The Collin County jury's verdict and the life sentence imposed by the court close the criminal case in Collin County, though prosecutors' belief in additional victims leaves open questions about whether the full scope of Fenley's conduct has been fully accounted for in court.