SEABROOK, Texas — Law enforcement officers from several agencies teamed up Monday night to arrest a wanted suspect charged with killing a young Seabrook woman earlier this month.
Dawayland Earnest Hurst, 22, had been the focus of a manhunt since Oct. 4 when the body of Mary Jane Collins, 23, was found inside her Seabrook apartment on Repsdorph Road. Her two children were in the home when she was stabbed to death, according to Seabrook police.
Editor's note: The above video originally aired on Oct. 11.
Hurst, 22, was tracked down to a home on 7th Avenue North in Texas City where he was arrested by task force officers from the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office, Galveston Police Department, Gulf Coast Violent Offenders and Fugitive Task Force and the Texas City Police Department.
Hurst has a long rap sheet in at least three counties and was awaiting trial for aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, assault of a family member and terroristic threat of a family member, according to court records.
Court documents obtained by KHOU 11 News show that Hurst began dating the victim as part of a plot to get revenge for his half-brother's 2020 shooting death in Texas City. Turns out the man serving time for killing his half-brother, Drajwan Triplett, is the father of one of Collins' children.
Seabrook homicide detectives investigating Collins' death discovered a recording of a video phone call that King made to Collins on the day she was killed. Investigators say Hurst and Collins are seen sitting on a bed with King's child. Hurst is instructing the child to say to King, "Daddy, he mean, look what he fixin' to do to me." Collins is crying and says, "No, get away, baby, no get away from him. No don't." At that point, Hurst then slaps the little boy.
Investigators said Hurst also sent a video to the victim's grandmother telling her he was going to kill Collins.
They learned from Collins' friends and family members that she had told them Hurst was physically abusive and they saw her with injuries, including bruises and a bite mark on her face.
Detectives say Hurst befriended Collins, abused her and then murdered her to get back at King.
Hurst was charged with murder a few days after Collins was killed but it took them a while to track him down.