DENTON, Texas — A Denton County jury has convicted a man in the 2024 killing of a 20-year-old transgender woman and sentenced him to life in prison, according to the Denton County District Attorney's Office.
Michael Tooley, 55, was found guilty on May 8, 2026, in the murder of Dylan Wayne Gurley. Jurors returned the verdict Thursday and handed down the life sentence Friday.
Gurley, a Little Elm resident, was killed July 23, 2024, in Denton. Police responded that night to the 3700 block of Holland Lane after a third-party caller reported finding an injured woman inside a home.
Officers located Gurley unconscious with multiple stab wounds. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead less than an hour later.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death a homicide, determining the cause as blunt and sharp force injuries combined with strangulation.
Authorities said Gurley was homeless at the time of her death.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Michelle Dobson and Sarah Seaborne, with assistance from investigators and victim services personnel.
Officials credited the investigation by the Denton Police Department and the work of prosecutors in securing the conviction.
