On March 30, 2024, at approximately 3:55 a.m., Dallas police responded to a call in the 9500 block of Forest Lane, where they discovered 78-year-old Mohammad Taghi-Farshi deceased in a motel parking lot. He had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the neck. His wallet, cell phone, and vehicle—a rental through Lyft's Flexdrive Services—were missing, though the car key remained in his back pocket.
Lyft provided authorities with information indicating that Maurice Parker, 19, was Taghi-Farshi's last passenger, with a drop-off location near the crime scene. Later that day, officers arrested Parker at the same motel on an unrelated charge after reports of him firing a handgun in the courtyard. During the arrest, police found Taghi-Farshi's wallet in Parker's possession, containing the victim's identification documents. Parker also had a 9mm handgun with a spent cartridge in the magazine.
Under police questioning, Parker admitted to shooting Taghi-Farshi in the neck and disclosed the location of the victim's vehicle, which was subsequently recovered. Consequently, Parker was charged with capital murder and unlawful carrying of a weapon. He is being held in the Dallas County Jail on a bond exceeding $5 million. If convicted of capital murder, Parker faces either the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole.
In response to the incident, Lyft expressed condolences to Taghi-Farshi's family and confirmed that Parker's account has been permanently banned from the platform. The company has pledged to assist law enforcement with the ongoing investigation.
