DALLAS– The mother of a Black trans woman who was tragically shot on Thursday in Dallas in 2019 pleaded guilty to the murder and cried as she vowed to carry on the lobbying work that her 22-year-old girl had begun.
Stephanie Houston, the family of Muhlaysia Booker, stated in her victim impact statement in jury that although her body might not be around, her soul lives in this tradition, and she will continue to use the name of her child.
As the jury selection was about to start, 37-year-old Kendrell Lyles entered a guilty plea to death on Monday and was given the death penalty of 48 years in prison. Authorities have not disclosed Lyles ‘ motivation for killing Booker, and his lawyer has stated that he is unsure of his motivation.
She was assaulted by several people in an unrelated strike a month or so before Booker was killed after sustaining small traffic injuries. On social press, the strike was widely disseminated after being captured on cellphone picture. Booker, who was taken to the hospital, admitted to officers that the attackers had used racist slurs.
She was shaken but steadfast when she spoke at a protest held after the attack, telling backers,” This day, I may have before you, whereas in other scenarios, we are at the memorial.” The assault that happened Booker in her brief life serves as an example of the threats faced by transgender people, particularly Black transgend women, across the United States.
Jordan Ford, a friend of Booker’s, testified in court on Thursday that the assault did n’t break her spirit but rather motivated her to speak up.
According to Ford,” Muhlaysia took it upon herself to spread awareness of the daily hatred and violence experienced by trans people.” She “refused to be silenced by suffering, and her unwavering resolve inspired some.”
Ford claimed that Booker went live on social media to inform younger LGBTQ+ individuals that “it’s OK to remain true to who you are” in addition to taking the time to coach them.
The body of Booker was discovered early on May 18, 2019, on a Dallas road. While looking into the deaths of a man and woman who were killed in individual murders in the weeks following Booker’s murder, police claimed to have identified Lyles as the suspect. According to authorities, Lyles was also charged with those two victims ‘ incidents. There were no trans people among the other two victims.
About three days before her body was discovered, Booker got into a car that matched the description of the one Lyles was driving, according to an arrest permit. According to the subpoena, Lyles frequently visited the area to match with transgender sex workers, according to a witness.
Houston informed Lyles that she had forewarned her child about potential suitors.
Houston added that her daughter had been shot three times and thrown out of the vehicle “like she was trash,” adding that she had “warned my newborn about the lord and that day she got in the same car as him.”
Houston, who founded the Muhlaysia Booker Foundation to aid trans people after her mother’s passing, said,” You only looked at her like a transgend woman, but she was more than that.”
Texas is one of the states where trans people are the target of more and more laws and policies, such as limitations on gender-affirming attention, using the restroom in public, and participating in sports.
At least 334 transgender and gender-nonconforming people have been killed by violence in the United States since 2013, according to the Human Rights Campaign’s public education and research team. Of these victims, 75 % were of color, and nearly 62 % were Black. Additionally, more than any other state, Texas saw nearly 10 % of those deaths, according to HRC.
