On March 30, 2024, at about 3:55 a.m., Dallas police found 78-year-old Mohammad Taghi-Farshi dead in a motel parking lot in the 9500 block of Forest Lane with a fatal gunshot wound to the neck. His wallet, cell phone, and a rental vehicle obtained through Lyft’s Flexdrive Services were missing; the car key was in his back pocket.

Lyft’s records showed Maurice Parker, 19, was Taghi-Farshi’s last passenger and had been dropped off near the scene. Officers arrested Parker later that day at the same motel on an unrelated report of someone firing a handgun in the courtyard. Police recovered Taghi-Farshi’s wallet on Parker, which contained the victim’s identification, and found a 9mm handgun with a spent cartridge in the magazine. Parker admitted to shooting Taghi-Farshi and led officers to the victim’s vehicle.

Parker was charged with capital murder and unlawful carrying of a weapon and is held in Dallas County Jail on bond exceeding $5 million. Lyft has permanently banned the account linked to Parker and said it will assist law enforcement. If anyone has information about Taghi-Farshi or the events that night, please share it with Dallas authorities.