A man is facing a capital murder charge after a Facebook Marketplace transaction in Seagoville, Dallas, ended in a deadly shooting.
RJ Nathan Bonner, 20, is accused of participating in the killing of William Dean, who had traveled to Seagoville to sell jewelry to someone using a fake buyer profile named “Jerry John.” Investigators later linked the profile to a teenager from Balch Springs.
Police say Dean, who was selling gemstone-encrusted men’s watches, sent photos and videos of the merchandise through Facebook Marketplace and agreed to meet in the Seago Farms neighborhood of Seagoville on Dec. 2, 2024.
According to a Seagoville police affidavit, the juvenile suspect entered Dean’s car shortly before a gunshot was heard. A witness told police that both men exited the vehicle, and Dean collapsed nearby. The shooter fled and entered a waiting gray Dodge Charger.
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Dean was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Police recovered jewelry, loose gemstones, and a gemstone tester inside Dean’s vehicle, along with a spent 9 mm shell casing and a live round in the passenger area.
Investigators used neighborhood surveillance footage and license plate recognition technology to identify the Dodge Charger, which was registered to William Young, 19, of DeSoto. Young admitted to being the driver and said Bonner was the front-seat passenger according to the affidavit. He also identified the juvenile as the person who entered Dean’s vehicle.
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Cell phone data placed Bonner, Young, and the juvenile near the scene at the time of the killing. Records also show communication between Bonner and the juvenile earlier that day.
Bonner was arrested and booked into the Dallas County jail and is being held on a $1 million bond. He is charged with capital murder by terror threat or other felony.
