Dishaye “ShayMoney” Stevenson was a hardworking entrepreneur and a devoted mother and daughter with a lively spirit that her family said drew people to her. A 35-year-old Black woman, she was a former track, soccer, and basketball star who shared her passion for sports with her daughter. In addition to raising her 16-year-old, Dishaye cared for her partially paralyzed mother and in 2021 opened her own business, ShayMoney Purses & More, later becoming a tax preparer.
Relatives said she did everything she could for her husband, despite what they saw as a troubled marriage.
On the morning of Wednesday, October 25, 2023, Dallas Police responded to a shooting call around 7:20 a.m. in the 1600 block of Murdock Road in Southeast Dallas. When officers arrived, they found Dishaye Stevenson on the side of the road. She had been shot in the chest at close range and died at the scene.
The investigation quickly led police to a suspect. Later that same day, officers located and arrested Dishaye’s husband, 39-year-old Michael Smith. He was charged with murder and taken to the Dallas County Jail, where he was held on a $1,000,000 bond.
Dishaye’s sister, Jasmine Stevenson, later told a local television station that the couple’s relationship was tumultuous. She said that while Smith acted “sweet” in front of the family, he was different “behind closed doors,” and that there had been “a lot of red flags.” Struggling with the loss, Jasmine asked, “I just wanna know why. Why would you take my sister from us?”
As of October 2024, the case against Michael Smith was proceeding through the justice system.
