Mugshot of Jimmy Eugene Johnson III, who was charged with the murder of a trans woman from Dallas
A 24-year-old man has been arrested and charged with murder in connection to the death of Carla Patricia Flores-Pavón.
Flores-Pavón, a 26-year-old trans woman from Dallas, Texas, was found strangled to death in her apartment on 9 May.
The arrest
Jimmy Eugene Johnson III was arrested on 17 May after a police stop near Huntsville, Texas. Officers found stolen items in Johnson’s car that belonged to Flores-Pavón.
Johnson is currently being held in Walker County Jail on a $500,000 [£371,167.50; €424,070] bond. He will soon be transferred to Dallas. His charges could be upgraded to capital murder.
Flores-Pavón met up with Johnson after connecting in an online chat room. Police say robbery was the motive behind the murder. She was not targeted for her ‘transgender lifestyle,’ according to officials.
Flores-Pavón was the ninth known transgender person to be murdered in the United States this year. Just a few days later, Nino Fortson of Atlanta, Georgia became the tenth.
Watch the Dallas Police conference following Johnson’s arrest below:
Anything else?
Dallas police are also investigating another, unrelated, murder of a trans woman. The body of an unidentified black transgender female was found floating in a creek just three days after the murder of Flores-Pavón.
Officials say the body was in a ‘serious state of decomposition’ and showed signs of injury. The Dallas Police Department is urging anyone with information to call Detective Chaney at +1 (214) 671-3650.
