Alicia Luvianos’ husband was shot to death on Cedar Springs strip
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| Darrell Jenkins |
Alicia Luvianos wants to be there, but she’s not sure whether she will.
Luvianos, whose husband was shot to death on the Cedar Springs strip April 16, said she doesn’t know if she has the strength to return to the area.
“I don’t know what my reaction would be if I see that place again,” said Luvianos, 27, who lives in McKinney. “I would like to go to say thank you to everyone.”
LULAC 4871, the Dallas Tavern Guild and the Cathedral of Hope will host a benefit for Luvianos and her 7-month-old daughter at 8 p.m. Sunday, July 8 at Round-Up Saloon.
Luvianos’ husband, Jose Landa, was shot during a robbery after leaving J.R.’s, where the couple had been celebrating his 31st birthday.
Luvianos and Landa were married only 14 months.
“It’s just amazing how you can have everything one day, and just close your eyes, and you have nothing left,” Luvianos said. “We had a perfect life.”
The brazenness of Landa’s murder rocked the LGBT community.
A week later, police arrested 23-year-old Darrell Jenkins, a vagrant and suspected male hustler known as “the black Jesus.” Jenkins is charged with capital murder, and his case is scheduled to go before a grand jury later this month, according to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.
Luvianos said her husband’s murder has left her unable to afford her car payment. She’s also facing the prospect of being kicked out of her house, which was purchased using a loan under Landa’s name.
In addition to helping Luvianos, the benefit will give the community an opportunity to talk about safety and crime prevention, according to Jesse Garcia, spokesman for LULAC 4871.
City Councilwomen Angela Hunt and Pauline Medrano, along with representatives from the Dallas Police Department, will be on hand.
“It’s going to turn out to be an event that serves so many purposes,” Garcia said.
Michael Doughman, executive director of the Tavern Guild, said Landos’ murder was the first to occur directly on the Cedar Springs strip. Likewise, the benefit will be unprecedented.
“This is the first time we’ve ever collaborated on an event of this nature, but we just thought it was very appropriate,” Doughman said. “We just felt called to make some sort of effort.’
E-mail wright@dallasvoice.com
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, July 6, 2007.