Prosecutor LaQuita Long told Jurors that Alvarado’s actions were “deliberate” and “hateful.”
A Dallas County jury has sentenced Ruben Alvarado, 24, to thirty-seven years in prison for the murder of a woman.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the jury reached the unanimous verdict after about three hours of deliberations.
Alvarado was charged with the 2019 brutal beating and strangling of Chynal Lindsey, 26, whose body was pulled from White Rock Lake on June 1, 2019. On Wednesday, the jury convicted Alvarado on the charge.
During the trial, prosecutors presented jurors with crime scene evidence and autopsy reports that showed a belt around the victim’s neck after investigators pulled her body from the lake. Prosecutors also showed jurors that the victim had multiple injuries, including a brain hemorrhage.
In his defense, Alvarado testified that he picked the victim up in Arlington on June 1, 2019, to have sex with her. The 24-year-old told jurors that he discovered Lindsey was transgender after they drove to White Rock Lake, and he confronted her about it.
Alvarado said Lindsey got aggressive, but he finally got on top of her and began punching her. He said he took off his belt and placed it around her neck, strangling her with it.
Jurors had the option to sentence Alvarado for a crime of “sudden passion,” or a crime committed with provocation in the heat of the moment, however, according to the news report, prosecutors said that Alvarado had time to think about wrapping his belt around Lindsey’s neck and that the crime was not sudden.
According to the Dallas Morning News, prosecutor LaQuita Long told Jurors that Alvarado’s actions were “deliberate” and “hateful.” Alvarado’s attorney Richard Franklin told jurors that the 24-year-old had a lousy childhood after his mother abandoned him.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Alvarado’s sister, told jurors that the accused is the only person who has shown her love and that she would always welcome him back to her home.
However, prosecutor Melody Louis argued that many people have difficult childhoods and that Alvarado must be accountable for his choices. She added that a long sentence for Alvarado is necessary to keep the public safe.