In the early morning hours of March 22, 2017, the life of Alphonza Watson, a 38-year-old Black transgender woman, was tragically cut short in Baltimore, Maryland. Watson was discovered on the street with a gunshot wound to her stomach and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Witnesses at the scene reported hearing an argument just before the sound of gunfire pierced the pre-dawn quiet.
Shortly after the shots were fired, two men were seen fleeing the area in a dark-colored vehicle. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Baltimore police stated they had very little information to go on and no clear motive for the crime.
Remembered by her mother as the 'sunshine of our family,' Alphonza Watson was described as a caring, passionate, and fun-loving person who was close to the Lord. Having identified as transgender since her teenage years, she was a top salesperson at a high-end retail store in Northern Virginia and enjoyed cooking and gardening in her personal time. Her death marked the ninth reported murder of a transgender person in the United States in 2017.
The investigation into Alphonza Watson's murder has been marked by uncertainty and a lack of significant public developments. While one report from July 2018 indicated that a warrant had been issued for the arrest of a 55-year-old man named Leonard Ward on a charge of second-degree murder, there are no readily available public records to confirm if an arrest was ever made or what the outcome of that warrant was. The Baltimore Police Department has not released further information confirming this lead, and the case is still considered unsolved by Metro Crime Stoppers, who continue to solicit tips from the public. To date, no arrests have been officially announced, and no suspects have been formally charged or convicted in connection with her death.
