DALLAS, Texas — Dallas police arrested a woman Friday whose probation stemming from a deadly 2020 robbery investigation has now been revoked.
Laquita Cota Stewart, 44, was taken into custody on February 20, 2026, for violating probation related to an aggravated robbery case originally investigated as a capital murder.
Probation Revoked After New Arrest
Stewart was first arrested in September 2020 following a homicide investigation in southern Dallas. Prosecutors initially charged her with capital murder, but after further investigation, the charge was reduced to aggravated robbery.
On January 25, 2023, Stewart accepted a plea agreement with the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office and was sentenced to five years of community supervision.
Court records show her probation was revoked in January 2026 after she was arrested on December 17, 2025, for theft of property valued between $750 and $2,500.
2020 Investigation Began With Fatal Shooting
The case traces back to September 10, 2020, when Dallas police responded around 1:26 a.m. to an apartment in the 3400 block of Fordham Road. Officers found John Lewis Carter dead on a living room couch from multiple gunshot wounds.
Investigators located shell casings from two different caliber firearms inside the apartment, along with a Glock .40 caliber pistol near the victim.
About 30 minutes earlier, officers had responded to a 7-Eleven store on South Beckley Avenue where a man later identified as Deshawn Gray arrived suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Gray had been transported there by Stewart and another individual, Embray Taylor, who initially claimed they did not know how Gray had been shot.
During the investigation, police recovered a .45 caliber Taurus pistol from the trunk of Stewart’s vehicle.
Detectives later interviewed Gray at Methodist Hospital, where he admitted he went to Carter’s apartment to buy cocaine. Gray told investigators a struggle broke out during the transaction, and he fired multiple shots before fleeing the apartment without contacting police.
Evidence Pointed to Planned Robbery
Investigators later received witness information alleging Stewart knew Carter and helped set up the robbery because she knew he sold drugs.
A search warrant executed on Stewart’s vehicle led to the recovery of a backpack containing suspected crack cocaine and ecstasy pills.
Security video from the apartment complex contradicted early statements made by the suspects. Footage showed the vehicle arriving minutes before the shooting, parking nearby with headlights off, and Gray exiting before later running back to the vehicle while bleeding.
The investigation ultimately resulted in Stewart pleading guilty to aggravated robbery rather than facing a capital murder charge.
Earlier Shooting Left Stewart Seriously Injured
Years before the robbery case, Stewart survived a separate violent incident.
In August 2014, she was shot in the face during a confrontation in the 2400 block of 52nd Street outside Harry Stone Montessori Academy in east Oak Cliff. Authorities said 20-year-old Ladarius Campbell attacked Stewart and was attempting to kill her when an off-duty Dallas police officer, Ruben Martinez, intervened and fatally shot Campbell.
Officer Martinez later received a Dallas Police Department courage award for saving Stewart’s life. Stewart survived but was left with permanent facial disfigurement from the gunshot wound.
Current Status
Following the revocation of her probation, Stewart remains in custody as the aggravated robbery sentence proceeds through the court system.
