Police in Texas are on the hunt for a man accused of murdering the ex-girlfriend of his half-brother’s killer in a twisted plot of revenge. The Seabrook Police Department responded to the scene on October 4, following a call about a disturbance at the Teakwood Apartment Complex on Repsdorph Road. When they arrived, they found 24-year-old MaryJayne Collins unresponsive. Though initially reported as a shooting, the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed Collins had been stabbed to death.
Inside the home, two young children were present but unharmed. The tragedy took a darker turn when investigators linked the murder to a long-brewing revenge plot tied to the 2020 killing of Diajwan Triplett.
Triplett was murdered on July 31, 2020, in Texas City. His killer, Michael King, was arrested and convicted for the crime. But behind bars, the consequences of the murder continued to unfold, centering on King’s half-brother, Dawayland Hurst.
According to detectives, Hurst began dating Collins in June. What Collins may not have realized is that her new boyfriend had a connection to her ex — Michael King, the father of her child and the man who killed Triplett. Soon after their relationship began, Hurst became violent, with Collins accusing him of physical abuse. She even showed friends images of injuries she said came from Hurst.
Things escalated in the most tragic way on the day Collins died. On the morning of October 4, King, who had somehow obtained a phone in prison, placed a FaceTime call to Collins. Instead of Collins answering, Hurst picked up. What followed was nothing short of disturbing. Hurst allegedly taunted King during the call, going as far as to slap his own child in the face while on camera. The child could be heard crying, with Collins begging, “No, get away baby, get away from him.” That moment was the last time anyone saw Collins alive.
Detectives believe that after the call ended around 10 a.m., Hurst fatally stabbed Collins in a fit of vengeance. Video footage from a nearby Ring camera showed Hurst leaving the apartment shortly before 11 a.m., taking what police described as an “evasive path” away from the scene.
What happened next was a chilling twist. King’s mother, apparently aware of the FaceTime call, posted on Facebook asking someone to check on Collins. Concerned friends saw the post and called 911, leading officers to discover Collins’ body.
Police have since issued a warrant for Hurst’s arrest, concluding that his actions were driven by a desire to avenge his brother’s death. In the arrest affidavit, a detective stated, “I believe the defendant was motivated to revenge the death of his brother Diajwan Triplett. Thus, he befriended, abused, and then murdered the victim, who was the mother of Michael King’s children.”
As of now, the search for Dawayland Hurst continues, while the community is left reeling from the tragic loss of a young mother caught in the deadly cycle of violence and revenge.
