Killer influencer blamed girlfriend’s horror dying on his canine which was then euthanised
Kaleb Mickens, 34, known as ‘Cash Cartier’, blamed his innocent dog on the death of girlfriend in October 2023 in a twisted variation of ‘my dog ate my homework’. The dog was then euthanised
Sheila Cuevas died in October 2023(Image: Jam Press)
An influencer who blamed his girlfriend’s death on his dog has been caged for 40 years after admitting to a savage attack.
Kaleb Mickens, 34 – known online as “Cash Cartier” – was sentenced over the 2023 death of Sheila Cuevas. The Tarrant County District Attorney confirmed he pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated assault family violence.
Cuevas died on October 8, 2023, following what prosecutors described as a violent assault and drugging. On the day of her death, Mickens called 911 claiming she had been attacked by his dog, Soldier. But authorities later ruled out the animal. In a statement, the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office said: “The dog was taken and euthanized by animal control but later determined… to have nothing to do with Ms. Cuevas’ injuries and death.”
Mickens was also sentenced to 20 years for a probation revocation linked to a separate aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury.
He received a further 15 years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Dallas County.
The District Attorney’s Office said each of the offences involved different women Mickens had been in relationships with.
Assistant District Attorney Allenna Bangs said: “He is a master of manipulation. He’s just incredibly abusive.”
She added: “He, by his nature, is just an abuser and that’s kind of what we found by investigating his case.”
Fort Worth attorney Peter Gieseking said there were challenges in determining the exact cause of Cuevas’ death. “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,” he said.
“But ultimately, what happened on that day we don’t really know.”
Prosecutors stated Mickens had amassed a following through an online training platform, portraying himself as successful while hiding a violent private life.
Meanwhile, a woman holidaying in Florida bravely plunged into the sea to rescue a struggling swimmer, only to discover the man was sought for allegedly murdering his wife and her estranged lover. The woman, known only as Belinda, spotted a man crying out for help while she was strolling near Riomar Beach on the morning of March 24.
She immediately dashed into the sea and advised the man to lie on his back and let the waves bring him back to shore. She recounted to a local media outlet that he complained of fatigue throughout the ordeal.
“So, he got on his back, and he said, ‘I’m exhausted, I’m tired,’ and I said, ‘Do it! Get on your back and let the waves carry you, you can do it, come on’,” she explained. However, the man informed Belinda he was “going to take a long vacation”.
Belinda leapt into action, ensuring the man reached the shore safely. Police footage of the incident shows her crouching down next to the man after he emerged from the water.
The man was later identified as double-murder suspect Jesse Scott Ellis, 64, who is accused of shooting his wife of 13 years, Stacie Ellis Mason, and her married workmate, Danny Ooley, in the car park of the Indian River County Main Library in Vero Beach at around 7am that same day.
