A suspect already serving time in Texas state prison is now facing new charges in connection with the slaying of a transgender woman in 2021, according to a news release Wednesday by the Arlington Police Department.
Investigators plan to file murder charges against Arthur Morris Jr., 25, after they were able to link him to the killing four years ago of Kier Solomon, the release said.
Police said Morris was already in prison while serving a seven-year prison sentence for an unrelated aggravated robbery conviction when the murder warrant was obtained.
Solomon was shot and killed at an apartment complex in Arlington.
Crime in The News
The release said investigators recovered Solomon’s phone from a car, which showed she was in communication with an unidentified individual via an app about meeting the other person at a location. Detectives determined the number was temporary and had been generated by the app.
During their investigation, detectives later found out about a similar incident that occurred two weeks prior, involving the same app and location but a different person, police said.
In that case, the suspect took items from that unidentified victim, displayed a gun, and fired a shot at that victim’s car, according to the release. Police said further investigation pointed to Morris as the suspect in that incident.
“Given the similarities in the two cases, he became a person of interest in Ms. Solomon’s murder,” the release said.
In September, investigators found an email address and a cell phone number associated with the app account that they were able to directly connect to Morris.
The release said records for that cell phone number placed Morris at the crime scene before, during and after the murder.
Police did not disclose a motive for what led to Solomon’s slaying.
Morris is being held at the state penitentiary in Childress and will be returned to Tarrant County for his arraignment, authorities said.
Police seek help finding suspect in fatal Mesquite shooting Dallas County man files federal false imprisonment lawsuit against Judge Amber Givens