A teacher in Texas was found dead in her own backyard, a victim of multiple gunshot wounds. The victim’s mother says her daughter met the alleged killer only a week earlier on a dating app. The suspect was arrested 260 miles away.
Teacher found dead in backyard with multiple gunshot wounds
On January 7, police in Sugar Land, Texas, responded to reports of a shooting around 9:50 PM in the 1100 block of Oxford Mills Lane in the New Territory subdivision. When police arrived, they found 28-year-old Wendy Duan lying dead in her own backyard. She had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, the Daily Mail reported.
Police called the shooting “a domestic violence incident,” KHOU reported. Police said Duan was the only person living in the home. Investigators also said they know who the gunman is, but he was not in custody.
Victim was a dedicated teacher
Duan was a third-grade language arts teacher at Boone Elementary with the Alief Independent School District, where she had worked since 2017. She was named English as a Second Language (ESL) Teacher of the Year in December 2021.
The victim’s mother, who wished not to be identified, said her daughter was a dedicated teacher who always put her students first and would often ask her mother to buy gifts for the students, Unilad reported.
“Every Thursday she asks me to go to the dollar store to buy gifts for kids,” Duan’s mother said.
Alleged killer met victim a week earlier on a dating app
Wendy Duan’s mother says her daughter met the alleged killer only a week earlier on a dating app called “MeetMe.”
“She showed me the picture,” Duan’s mother said. “I don’t know his name. She was just saying, ‘Do you like him?’ I said no.”
The pair had only been dating for a week when the suspect took Duan’s life.
Duan’s mother says she had a bad feeling about the alleged killer and warned her daughter about the dangers of meeting a stranger online. However, despite her strong intuition, she never imagined her daughter would wind up dead, the New York Post reported.
“It’s unbelievable,” Duan’s mother said. She believes the alleged killer took her daughter’s kindness for weakness.
Killer arrested and charged with murder
Authorities have identified the suspected killer as Charvas Thompson, 26, who was arrested four days after Duan’s murder. He was found 260 miles away in Louisiana. Authorities have charged him with her murder.
Sugar Land detectives said Thompson shot and killed Duan during an argument.
“The guy is very evil,” Duan’s mother said. “He took her life away. I hope this guy gets the full legal punishment.”
Thompson will be extradited back to Texas where he will face charges in Fort Bend County. His bond was set at $500,000.
