“I really preferred a trial”: Alabama family upset with guilty plea in murder of  17-year-old trans teen

Just as a jury was about to be selected, a 22-year-old Alabama man pleaded guilty Monday to murder in the May 2024 shooting death of 17-year-old transgender teenager Tayy Dior Thomas.

In a case the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office called a “senseless murder,” Carl Mitchell Washington Jr. was sentenced to 25 years in prison as part of a plea deal that resulted in Mobile County Circuit Judge Brandy Hambright dismissing a charge of shooting into an occupied vehicle, according to news station WALA.

News reports have referred to Thomas by her deadname and used he/him pronouns, but WALA reports Thomas began identifying as female in seventh grade and went by Tayy. Family members confirmed her name to the Human Rights Campaign.

Related: Transgender 17-year-old Tayy Dior Thomas shot to death in Alabama

Mobile police say they were called to Darwood Drive just before 3:30 a.m. on May 7, 2024, after reports of gunfire. Officers arriving at the scene discovered a vehicle that had been struck by multiple rounds. Investigators arrested Washington later that same day.

Court records indicate that Tayy suffered nearly 20 gunshot wounds. Tayy’s mother, Victoria Thomas, told WALA the plea deal was disappointing.

“I really preferred a trial because I think they would have given him more time. I think he deserved more time,” Thomas said.

“My child was 17, and (Washington) knew exactly what he was doing, had plenty of time to change his mind, and he didn’t.”

According to Thomas, Tayy and Washington had been in a relationship, but Washington wanted to keep it private. Thomas said the pair argued the night of the shooting and alleged that Washington brought Tayy to Darwood Drive, where he shot her.

Thomas recalled that a deaf neighbor did not hear Tayy knocking for help. She said another neighbor across the street heard the teenager and opened the door, attempting to get her to safety. Thomas said Washington then chased Tayy as she ran down the street before shooting her in the yard.

Tayy’s grandmother remembers her fondly, telling HRC that “Tayy always had a huge smile on her face showing her dimples,” and that she loved doing her hair and “would help anyone.”