A 19-year-old man from Dallas is facing a capital murder charge in the death of a 78-year-old Lyft driver who police said had been robbed and fatally shot in the neck.
Dallas Police said officers were called to a shooting after 3 a.m. March 30 outside a motel on Forest Lane. It was there that officers found the body of Mohammad Taghi-Farhsi.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by NBC 5, investigators said Taghi-Farshi was working as a Lyft driver and had been shot once in his neck. Police said the man's wallet, cell phone and vehicle were missing, though his car key was still in his back pocket.
Lyft provided police details about Taghi-Farshi's last fare, identifying the rider as Maurice Parker and the drop-off location along the 9600 block of Forest Lane.
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On March 31, as detectives began looking for Parker, they learned he was already in jail on an unrelated charge and that when he was arrested on Forest Lane Taghi-Farshi's wallet was found in his front pocket. The wallet still contained the man's Social Security card, naturalization documents, insurance cards, and a driver's license. Police said a 9mm handgun was also found with a fired cartridge in the magazine.
Detectives interviewed Parker and said he admitted to shooting the driver in the neck and told them where he left the man's vehicle. Taghi-Farshi's car was later found at the location given.
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Police said on Monday they charged Maurice Antoine Parker with capital murder in the man's death. According to jail records, Parker is now being held on bonds totaling more than $5 million for the capital murder charge and a charge of unlawfully carrying a weapon.
If convicted of capital murder, Parker faces either the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
Rideshare service Lyft offered condolences to Taghi-Farhsi's family and said they stand ready to assist law enforcement in the investigation.
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