Arlington police have arrested a suspect in the 2021 shooting death of a transgender woman whose body was found inside a running vehicle at an apartment complex on Stonehill Road.
Arthur Morris Jr., 25, is charged with murder in connection with the death of Kier Solomon. At the time the warrant was issued, Morris was already serving a seven-year sentence for aggravated robbery in an unrelated case.
Victim found in running vehicle
Another driver pulling into the Madrid Apartments off Furrs Street on the city’s north side found Solomon in the driver’s seat of her own car, with a door open and the engine running. She died in the emergency room at a local hospital.
Solomon lived in Dallas area
At the time of the murder, the 21-year-old Solomon lived in Dallas with her grandmother. She sometimes stayed with a friend at an apartment in Arlington, according to her family, and even kept a dog there — but at a complex in another part of the city.
Solomon was between jobs, having worked most recently at a staffing agency, but was eager to find more work to keep up with a car payment, her grandmother told CBS News Texas.
Digital trail leads to suspect
Investigators said Solomon had been communicating with someone through a messaging app before the meeting. The number used was a temporary, app-generated one. Detectives later linked Morris to a similar incident involving gunfire and robbery at the same location two weeks earlier. He has been charged with aggravated robbery in that case as well.
Breakthrough came in September
Police said they had a breakthrough in September, when search warrants uncovered an email and phone number tied to Morris, placing him at the scene before, during and after the killing.
“Sometimes we get that big break in a case right away and other times we don’t,” Chief of Police Al Jones said. “What never changes, though, is our commitment to delivering justice for victims of crime and exhausting every possible lead to achieve that goal.”
Transfer for arraignment pending
Morris will be transferred from a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility in Childress to Tarrant County for arraignment.
CBS News Texas will provide updates when additional information becomes available.