Fort Worth man gets lengthy prison sentence for death of girlfriend he blamed on dog

FORT WORTH, Texas - A Fort Worth influencer will spend decades in prison after pleading guilty on charges relating to the death of his girlfriend in 2023, an incident he originally blamed on his dog.

Prison sentence for Fort Worth influencer

What we know:

34-year-old Kaleb Mickens received a 40-year prison sentence after accepting a plea deal on a first-degree aggravated assault charge related to the death of Sheila Cuevas in 2023.

He was also sentenced to 20 years on a probation revocation and 15 years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, both from charges in Dallas County.

Prosecutors were unable to pursue a murder charge after complications with the medical examiner proving the cause of death in the case.

Multiple previous victims of Mickens' abuse delivered statements in court on Monday during sentencing.

The backstory:

On Oct. 8, 2023, Mickens called 911 and said his dog Soldier attacked Cuevas, and she was no longer breathing.

Cuevas was found at the foot of her bed with several broken ribs and puncture wounds at the time of her death.

The dog was euthanized following the incident. However, Mickens was later arrested and charged with aggravated assault.

Investigators determined that Mickens had drugged and beat Cuevas to death, and that the dog had nothing to do with Cuevas' injuries.

IM Academy scheme

Dig deeper:

Mickens, who went by the nickname "Cash Cartier," was involved in the multi-level marketing scheme IM Academy.

Prosecutors said Mickens was making around $20,000 a week at the height of the scheme. Cuevas' death occurred at a time when Mickens' income from the scheme had considerably declined.

The suspect had previously posted a tribute to the victims on his Instagram account.

The scheme targeted younger people with the allure of making thousands of dollars a week under the pretense of being an education program. 

In September 2025, two people involved with IM Academy were ordered to pay $10.5 million by the Federal Trade Commission after allegations of falsely claiming income to get people to join the scheme.

"He is a master of manipulation"

What they're saying:

FOX 4's David Sentendrey spoke with multiple prosecutors involved with the case.

"He is a master of manipulation," Allenna Bangs, a Tarrant County assistant district attorney, told Sentendrey. "He’s just incredibly abusive."

Prosecutors learned Mickens had abused over a dozen women during their investigation into this case.

"He, by his nature, is just an abuser and that’s kind of what we found by investigating his case," Bangs continued.

"There were some complications with the case with the medical examiner proving the cause of death, so we weren’t able to charge him with murder, so ultimately charged with a first-degree felony offense," Peter Gieseking, a Fort Worth attorney, said. "But ultimately, what happened on that day we don’t really know."

Of Cuevas, Bangs said: "A valedictorian, had a graduate degree — ended up in his grips and couldn’t find a way out even with a loving family."