Dallas Boyd's Killer Sentenced, Will Spend 17 Years In Prison

PORTLAND, OR – Dallas Boyd was a 29-year-old mother of two who had had some struggles but was trying to get things back on track. She never got the chance.

Some time between July 13 and July 17, 2018, she was she strangled, her body left in a van.

Her killer, 58-year-old Terry Hickman, found out Wednesday that he will be spend the next 17 years in prison.

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"Dallas was so full of energy," Boyd's fiance, Michael Riggins, told the court at Hickman's sentencing hearing. "She was always smiling and making jokes.

At the same time, Riggins admitted that Boyd and he had problems with addiction and homelessness.

"Drugs and homeless do not define Dallas," he said.

"She was so much more."

One thing that she was not, however, was a good singer, her sister, Shanda Thurston, told the court.

"She was an amazing dance but a horrible singer," she said as she shared memories of Boyd.

Hickman pleaded guilty last December to killing Boyd.

Portland Police officers had been flagged down on July 20, 2018 by someone who said they had information on a recent murder.

That led to detectives discovering that Hickman had confessed to a friend that he had committed the crime.

On July 21, they discovered Boyd's body in a van and arrested Hickman.

The district attorney's office made sure to keep Boyd's family updated on the status of plea negotiations. They were supportive of the deal.

"I just hope that none of us have to feel this pain again," Boyd's uncle, Lonnie Stephens said.

Photo of Dallas Boyd via the Boyd's family/Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.