A Dallas County jury has imposed a 37-year prison term on a Dallas man who admitted killed a transgender woman more than two years ago.
Ruben Alvarado, 24, stood silently as Dallas County State District Court Judge Hector Garza read the verdict.
Alvarado was convicted of murder in the strangulation and beating death of Chynal Lindsey. Her body was found just under the surface of White Rock Lake near a point on the west side. The man who spotted the body in knee-deep water at first saw a hand protruding from the surface.
Alvarado never denied he killed Lindsey. Testifying in his own defense, Alvarado said that he had met Lindsey on an app and the two agreed to meet for sex June 1, 2019. In the early morning hours, Alvarado said he had driven Lindsey to a parking lot off Lawther Drive.
That is when Alvarado said he learned Lindsey was not a biological woman.
Related
Alvarado said he ordered Lindsey out of his SUV. Instead, he said Lindsey became violent and began attacking him. That’s when Lindsey said he took off his belt, wrapped it around Lindsey’s neck and choked her to death.
“When you pulled on that belt, you pulled with enough force to cause a fracture in her neck?” asked Dallas County Assistant D.A. Melody Louis during cross examination.
“Yes.” Alvarado replied.
The murder charge carried a possible sentence range of 5-years in prison to life with the possibility of parole. Prosecutors had recommended a 60-year prison term. Defense attorney Richard Franklin was non-specific, only recommending a lesser sentence. The 37-year term was almost an exact split between the minimum term and the prosecution’s recommendation.
During a victim impact statement, Lindsey’s cousin, Tamya Lindsey urged Alvarado to use his prison term to improve himself as a man.
“Don’t get discouraged when you do get out,” she said. “Jobs going to turn you down. They are. But don’t get discouraged. Don’t start thinking about the stuff you used in jail.”
Related
