On November 4, 2020, 50-year-old Donald Michael Best, a white male, was found lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds in the 1400 block of Taylor Street in Wichita Falls, Texas. He was transported to United Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:32 p.m. The investigation revealed that Best had been in communication with Cody Ryan Stage, a 33-year-old white male, about purchasing a motorcycle for $2,000.
However, Stage and his accomplice, Raymond Alaniz, a 28-year-old white male, decided to rob Best instead of selling him the motorcycle. The robbery went awry, resulting in Best's death.
Stage and Alaniz were both arrested and charged with capital murder. Stage, who has a lengthy arrest record, was apprehended after an extensive manhunt. He initially planned to sell the motorcycle to Best but later conspired with Alaniz to rob him. Stage claimed that the robbery went bad and that Alaniz shot Best. Alaniz, on the other hand, stated that Stage was the one who fired the shots. Both men were arrested several days after the shooting, following a police investigation into a building burglary in which a dirt bike and other items were stolen.
In court, both Stage and Alaniz pleaded guilty to murder. Stage was sentenced to 45 years in prison, while Alaniz received a 25-year sentence. Alaniz also pleaded guilty to burglary of a habitation in an unrelated case and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, to be served concurrently with his murder sentence. The co-conspirators turned on each other, each blaming the other for firing the fatal shots that killed Best.
The case highlights the tragic outcome of a robbery gone wrong and the subsequent legal proceedings that brought the perpetrators to justice. The investigation and arrests were a result of diligent police work, including the use of surveillance footage and extensive manhunts. The sentences handed down to Stage and Alaniz reflect the severity of their crimes and the impact on the victim's family and community.
