Allen man who sexually assaulted immigrant sex worker given life sentence

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COLLIN COUNTY, Texas - An Allen man will spend the rest of his life in prison after sexually assaulting a victim he targeted because of her immigrant status.

What we know:

38-year-old Detaron Fenley received a life sentence in prison this week after being convicted of sexually assaulting a Plano woman in 2024. Fenley was originally arrested in Oct. 2024 on aggravated sexual assault with a deadly weapon.

The arrest affidavit states on Sept. 24, 2024, Fenley entered the victim's apartment and held her at knifepoint. The victim told investigators Fenley grabbed her neck and began to assault her before trying to tie her up with tape, before continuing to assault her.

The victim lost consciousness and was left with a broken nose, swelling and bruising on her face. She told police that Fenley contacted the victim that morning online for escort services.

Fenley was arrested by Plano police after locating cell phone records and surveillance footage from the incident.

Prosecutors said Fenley targeted the victim because her status as an immigrant living in the country illegally would make it less likely she would report the incident to police.

The backstory:

Prosecutors believe Fenley had half a dozen other victims who testified against him in the case. At the time of his arrest, police said he regularly communicated with sex workers on dating apps.

Fenley has a history of arrests for assault, and records indicate he was previously a suspect in a separate sexual assault case that occurred in a similar manner.

In that case, the suspect contacted a woman through a dating app, forced his way into the victim's apartment, held the victim down and sexually assaulted her.

Fenley's DNA matched the suspect's in that case, but the victim would not cooperate with investigators.