A Texas College football player has been charged with the first-degree murder of a transgender woman that he was reportedly dating.

Carlton Ray Champion, Jr, 21, of Longview, Texas, was charged on Monday with the murder of 24-year-old Tyrone Lee Underwood. 

Underwood was found with gunshot wounds on January 26 in the driver's seat of a car that had crashed into a pole when injuries caused the victim to lose control.

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College football player Carlton Ray Champion, Jr, 21, of Longview, Texas, (left) was charged on Monday with the murder of 24-year-old transgender woman Tyrone Lee Underwood (right)

Underwood, who first responders said appeared to be a woman, was declared dead at the scene.  

According to KLTV, Champion and Underwood were in a relationship prior to the murder. 

Investigators found electronic evidence that the pair had planned to meet at the time Underwood was murdered around 2.30am. 

Social media also revealed documentation of the couple's sexual relationship.  

However, the murder suspect's father, Carlton Champion Sr, told police that his son had planned to meet the victim, believing he was a female for a sexual favor, People reported.

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However police do not believe this to be the case and said the accused and victim had known each other for several weeks and had a sexual relationship.

Underwood had allegedly taken to social media and accused the college football player of seeing someone else before the fatal shooting. 

It is unclear where the 24-year-old transgender woman was shot.  However police believe that at some point Champion was in the car and that shots were fired both in and outside the car. 

Underwood's roommate told police said she had been dating a man called 'Carlton' for a few weeks. 

Champion Jr was arrested on January 29 by Tyler police department for violating his probation and held without bond at the Gregg County Jail.

The 21-year-old initially told police that he had not contacted Underwood after 11pm of the night of the shooting and did not leave his dorm. 

However text messages revealed that they had been in touch later and had planned to meet up. 

Blood was found on Champion's jacket, according to the arrest affidavit.  

The murder suspect has not entered a plea and was being held on $1million bond. 

KLTV.com-Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville, Texas | ETX News

 

 

 

 

 


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