An influencer got 40 years for a fatal assault on his partner, but his bizarre claim in a twisted cover-up is the most disturbing part

Kaleb Mickens, also known as Cash Cartier, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the fatal assault of his girlfriend, Sheila Cuevas, an incident he initially tried to blame on his dog. This is a truly disturbing case, and the details surrounding his cover-up are particularly jarring.

Mickens, 34, pled guilty to first-degree aggravated assault family violence for the October 8, 2023, death of Cuevas. The Tarrant County District Attorney announced the sentencing on Tuesday, April 7. Beyond the 40-year term for Cuevas’s death, Mickens also received additional sentences for violent offenses against other women.

According to People, he was sentenced to 20 years for a probation revocation related to an aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, along with 15 years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Dallas County. These charges, prosecutors confirmed, involved different women Mickens had been in relationships with.

The fact he blamed his dog somehow makes this even worse

The most bizarre and unsettling part of this whole ordeal is Mickens’s initial attempt to deflect blame. On the day of Cuevas’s death, he reportedly called authorities to report that she wasn’t breathing, claiming his dog, Soldier, had attacked her. Animal control took the dog and tragically had to euthanize it. It’s a grim example of how animals are often victimized in domestic violence, similar to a recent report of a man killing his girlfriend’s pet rabbit.

Investigators later determined that the animal had absolutely nothing to do with Ms. Cuevas’s injuries or death. Prosecutors painted a picture of Mickens as a “master of manipulation” and someone “incredibly abusive.” He was known as Cash Cartier in the multi-level marketing scheme IM Academy, where he’d persuade young people to join his training team with promises of making thousands of dollars.

He reportedly used his “perceived wealth and status to manipulate men and women with threats and promises,” all while hiding his “very violent private persona.” At the peak of his training, Mickens was reportedly making $20,000 a week, though his income had declined by the time of Cuevas’s death.

In a full courtroom, several women delivered powerful impact statements, detailing their experiences of “torment, torture, manipulation, and sexual assault” at Mickens’s hands. They shared messages of survival, acknowledging that Sheila Cuevas did not survive. Cuevas’s family, including her brother, addressed Mickens directly, stating that “there can be no justice that brings Sheila back, but there can be outcomes, and there can be accountability and you deserve this.”

Tarrant County assistant district attorney Allenna Bangs explained that there were some complications with the medical examiner proving the exact cause of death. This meant prosecutors weren’t able to charge Mickens with murder, leading to the first-degree felony aggravated assault offense. It’s tough when the legal process can’t always align with the full extent of the tragedy. Bangs also highlighted Sheila Cuevas, describing her as a valedictorian with a graduate degree.

It’s heartbreaking to hear that even someone so accomplished “ended up in his grips and couldn’t find a way out even with a loving family.”