HOUSTON – Charges have been filed against a suspect in the deaths of two transgender women who were killed in Midtown. Tariq Lackings, 23, is charged with capital murder.
Robert Isaac, 35, and Willie Sims, 33, were found lying in the middle of Dennis and Fannin streets on April 10.
According to Houston police, Issac was suffering from gunshot and stab wounds, and Sims was suffering from stab wounds. Both died at the scene. The suspects fled before police arrived.
Isaac lived as a woman, and went by the name "Shontae."
Isaac's mother, Leola Thompson, was on the phone with Isaac the night police said a mob attacked and killed the transgender woman who went by the name Shontae.
"She did everything for me. I can't see her coming up the street. I can't see her calling my name. I can't do nothing," Thompson said.
According to witness testimony read aloud in court Thursday, the pair was in Midtown near the 1100 block of Dennis when they got into an argument with Lackings; Joe "Serenity" Colquitt, who is also a transgender woman; and some other men.
Colquitt, who was identified as a key person of interest in the killings, recently turned herself in to police for questioning but wasn't charged with a crime. The witness told police that, fearing for their safety, Sims grabbed a tire iron and Isaac threw a bottle at the street. That's when Lackings pulled out a pistol and allegedly shot Shontae in the chest.
"[The witness] said Serenity Colquitt then yelled out get that [expletive]. He said both complainants attempted to flee the area but were cornered against a vehicle and were beaten by pipes by this defendant, Serenity Colquitt, and other men," the court clerk said.
Further investigation identified Lackings as the suspect. He was arrested Wednesday and subsequently charged.
Thompson is still trying to make sense of it all and has a message for her child's accused killer.
"What I want to say to him, I want him to die just like she did and I'm coming to court," Thompson said.
Investigators believe there are additional suspects involved. Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.