'Robbery went bad': Wichita Falls man pleads guilty to murder
A second man pleaded guilty Friday to murdering Donald Michael Best Nov. 4, 2020, on Taylor Street during a robbery that turned deadly, court records show.
Raymond Alaniz, 28, of Wichita Falls entered a guilty plea to murder and burglary of a habitation in unrelated cases as part of a plea bargain.
Seventy-eighth District Judge Meredith Kennedy sentenced Alaniz to 25 years in prison for murder and 15 years for burglary, court records show. The sentences are to run concurrently.
He will receive credit for 879 days time served in jail for the murder sentence and 887 days for the burglary sentence. Murder is punishable by up to life in prison and burglary by up to 20 years in prison.
The co-conspirators in a plan to rob Best later turned on each other.
Alaniz and Cody Ryan Stage each pointed to the other as triggerman for the shooting death of Best, 50, in the 1400 block of Taylor Street, court records show.
Stage, 33, of Wichita Falls pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 45 years in prison as part of a plea agreement on Feb. 10 in 78th District Court, court filings show.
Alaniz was being held in the Wichita County Law Enforcement Center Friday, online jail records show.
Stage is serving time in the James Lynaugh Unit in Fort Stockton, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
On Nov. 4, 2020, Wichita Falls police found Best, 50, on the ground, apparently shot several times, in the 1400 block of Taylor Street, court documents show. He was transported to United Regional Hospital for treatment and was pronounced dead at 8:32 p.m.
Before the murder, Best messaged Stage about buying his motorcycle for $2,000. Stage told Best he didn't want to sell the bike, but he would come by anyway.
Stage later told police he planned to sell the motorcycle at first. But then he and Alaniz decided to rob Best. Stage told police he set up the deal and drove to meet Best. Stage told police the "robbery went bad," and Alaniz shot Best.
Alaniz had a different version of events. He told police Stage asked him about "hitting a lick" — robbing Best. Alaniz drove to the area of Best's home and dropped Stage off. Alaniz heard gunfire. Then Stage ran back to the vehicle, and they drove away.
In a separate case, Alaniz was convicted Friday of burglary of a habitation in the 1700 block of Avalon Place.
On June 7, 2020, while the victim was home, he saw Alaniz trying to get in through the windows on the northside of the home.
The victim grabbed his rifle, ran out the front door and had the neighbor call the police. He went to the northeast corner of the home to make sure no one came out. He saw Alaniz go through a back window and reach out and grab a shotgun. Police arrived about 7 p.m.
More: Cody Stage arrested in Oklahoma
A SWAT team entered the home and found Alaniz in the attic. SWAT officers had to pull some of the ceiling apart. Alaniz fell through and was taken into custody. He was given medical clearance at URHCS. They found a loaded shotgun in the garage.
Alaniz later told police he didn't recall breaking in, and the last thing he remembered was waiting for his girlfriend to go get ice cream. At the home, officers found a backpack in the garage containing electronic items from the home.
A charge of tampering with evidence against Alaniz was dismissed Friday. The offense is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Alaniz was accused of eating marijuana on March 2, 2020, to keep it from being used as evidence, according to allegations in court documents.
Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Read her recent work here. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Wichita Falls man sentenced in Taylor Street murder
