Dallas

Transgender Woman's Family Reacts After Dallas County Grand Jury Indicts Man in Her Murder

A Dallas County grand jury indicted a man Thursday in the death of Chynal Lindsey, 26-year-old black transgender woman whose body was pulled from White Rock Lake June 1.

Police said Lindsey died of obvious homicidal violence and later named 22-year-old Ruben Alvarado as the suspect in the woman's death after learning his phone number was in recent contact with the victim.

A murder indictment filed Thursday, however, reveals more details about Lindsey's death, specifically that investigators believe Alvarado choked and beat Lindsey with his hands, a belt and another object which caused blunt force trauma to the woman's body.

It’s been three months since the murder of her cousin, and Tamaya Lindsey said the wounds are still fresh and that news of the indictment brought emotions to the surface.

Lindsey's family referred to her by her birth gender, as "he."

"He was a person. He was such a good person," said Lindsey. "Sometimes I just lay in bed and I just wish I had him here. I just wish that he had an opportunity to just live his life."

Lindsey said she's having a difficult time processing the idea of her cousin dying at the hands of another person.

"'Homicidal violence' and him together, they don’t go together. It makes me gasp for air just to hear those two words," she said.

For that reason, Lindsey said, if Alvarado is found guilty, she hoped for the maximum penalty the law will allow.

"He wasn't thinking about life when he took a life," she said. "He doesn't deserve a slap on the wrist. My cousin didn't get a slap on the wrist, he shouldn't get one"

The indictment did not include any information about the motive for the attack, but police did say Alvarado's phone contained GPS data that showed the device at the exact location where Lindsey's body was recovered.

A date for Alvarado's trial has not yet been set.

Alvarado remains in the Dallas County Jail on $500,000 bond. It's not clear if he's obtained an attorney.

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