Dominique Lucious
Age 268 Apr 2021
Springfield, Missouri (USA)
Shot
TDoR list ref: tgeu/8-Apr-2021/Dominique Lucious
Dominique's body was found in an apartment after she had arranged to meet a man via a dating site. Charles Nelson, 28, has been charged with her murder.
A man has been charged with murder for the fatal shooting of Dominique Lucious, a 26-year-old Black trans woman from Missouri.
Charles Nelson, 28, was charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the killing on Thursday (8 April).
Lucious’ body was found at an apartment [in the 900 block of North Main Avenue] in Springfield, Missouri. Court documents say she’d planned to meet Nelson there on Thursday morning after connecting with him on a dating site.
Witnesses said Nelson fit the description of a man who was seen driving away from the apartment after gunshots were heard. Police used text messages from Lucious’ phone to identify and arrest him the same day.
Officers found blood on his shoes and a gun in his home that matched a shell casing found at the crime scene. Nelson is now being held in the Greene County jail without bond.
The death has devastated family and friends, who paid tribute to Dominique Lucious on Facebook. “Many don’t get to live in their authentic truth,” wrote a loved one. “You were fierce, glam, and hunny gorgeous! I love you now, tomorrow and forever.”
“Our hearts are broken for Dominique, whose bright beautiful light was extinguished far too soon, and for her family facing this horrific tragedy,” the Missouri advocacy group PROMO said in a statement.
“Everyday we work to end the stigma around transgender individuals. Such stigma fuels a culture of fear: transphobia, biphobia, and homophobia sit at the intersection of racism and misogyny, and fosters violence.
“If we are not working to end the societal violence that ended Dominique’s life, we are part of the problem.”
A motive for the shooting is still unclear, but tragic incidents like these are all too common. Lucious’ death is at least the 13th violent death of a trans or gender non-conforming person in 2021, a growing problem that is likely underreported.
https://planettransgender.com/man-arrested-for-a-springfield-mo-womans-murder
https://www.hrc.org/news/hrc-mourns-dominique-lucious-black-transgender-woman-killed-in-missouri
