TDoR 2006 / 2005 / October / 12 / Christina Smith


Christina Smith

Age 20

12 Oct 2005
Houston, Texas (USA)
Shot

TDoR list ref: tdor.info/12 Oct 2005/Christina Smith

Christina Smith

Christina was shot, found dead with a single gunshot wound in the head in an apartment complex.

A [woman] dressed in women's clothing was found dead in the courtyard of an apartment building in southwest Houston in the early morning of Oct. 12. The victim, Christopher Smith, suffered a single gunshot to the back of the head. Police at first believed the victim, [deadname] Smith, was a [cisgender] woman, but later learned she was a [trans woman] dressed in woman's clothing. Neighbors of the deceased told the Houston Chronicle that Smith was known to dress in "flamboyant, reveal-ing tops, tight pants and padded bras."

Police have been unable to locate any next of kin to provide further details about the 20 year-old, whom neighbors described as "loud and funny." Neighbors reported hearing as many as five gunshots about the time Smith is believed to have been shot. Police say they have suspects but no motive in the slaying.

Christina was a Hurricane Katrina evacuee from New Orleans whom the Houston Chronicle misgendered as "he" and "him".

Little is known about Smith, who called herself Christina. She had lived in a series of foster homes in Illinois prior to moving to New Orleans in 2003, police said. She and a roommate were evacuated to Houston following Hurricane Katrina. "This person was a Katrina evacuee and had not made contact with the local TG community," transgender activist Phyllis Frye said. She was obviously murdered because she was out and TG, but the police refuse to investigate for hate crime." Smith was murdered "for her gender difference," Frye said.

http://www.texasobituaryproject.org/101205smith.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20111216182004/http://tgdor.org:80/list.shtml

Report added: 3 Dec 2018. Last updated: 8 Oct 2022

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