Police look for killer of Houston transgender woman, charge man she was dating

“She was murdered, and she looks like me," says Dee Dee Watters, Black Transwomen, Inc. "She was a black trans woman who was murdered in Houston, it could’ve been me."

Tracy Williams, also known as Tracy Single, was 22 years old when she was murdered on July 30. Houston Police found her body in a parking lot off of I-10. She suffered a puncture wound and severe lacerations to her body. 

Tracy is now the third transgender woman to be murdered this year in the state of Texas.

After a month of searching, police have now charged 25-year-old Joshua Bourgeois with her murder. They say that she was planning to break up with Bourgeois, so he killed her. Detectives say they received a lot of tips from the public, and without them, the case may never have been solved.

Not only disheartening but the fact that out of 16 people we’ve lost this year, 15 of them have been African-American trans women, and 12 of those 15 are under age 30," said Monica Roberts, Black Transwomen, Inc.

Dee Dee Watters and Monica Roberts are two Transgender activists in the Houston area. We spoke about why these number of transgender murders are higher for African Americans.

“Some of it is intimate partner violence. Some of it is that wrong place at the wrong time because you know some are doing sex work," said Roberts.

We don’t know the motive was behind Tracy’s murder, but we do know that she was a regular at the Montrose Grace Place, a safe haven for youth in the LGBTQ community. 

We’re told the news of Tracy’s passing hit them hard. Mentors there have put a sign up, while the youth members continue to save a seat for Tracy at the dinner table to honor her.

“The energy, feels like some energy has been sucked out of my life, that really can’t be like replaced," said Courtney Sellers, a friend of Tracy's.

The next steps are making the funeral arraignments.

“Being able to help Tracy to be honored, and remembered and more and the way that she was, and who she was," said Watters.