Houston Man Linked to Transgender Strangulations

A homeless man from Houston has been linked by DNA to five strangulation deaths, including the murders of two transgender women.

Lucky Ward, a.k.a. Lawayne Jackson, 46, has been formally charged in the deaths of Carlos T. Rogriguez, a 40-year-old transgender woman who went by the name of “Gypsy,” and Reita L. Long, a 52-year-old homeless woman.

Houston police say Ward, who has worked as a day laborer and spent time in jail for solicitation, is a serial killer who preys on homeless women, women in shelters, and transgender women.

Thanks to DNA left at the scene of Long’s death, the Houston crime lab was able to construct a complete profile that, when presented to Ward, resulted in a confession. The DNA also linked him to four additional murders, and authorities suspect he could be responsible for even more.

While investigators have determined no motive for the killings, none of the victims were robbed or sexually assaulted. "He likes being the man, the person in control, the person who has the power," said Capt. David Gott of the police department. "That may be some indication as to why he did it."

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