Former college football player convicted of killing transgender girlfriend

Carlton Champion, 21, was found guilty of murder in the Jan. 26, 2015, shooting of Tyrone Underwood, who reportedly identified as a woman. (Gregg County Sheriff's Office) Carlton Champion, 21, was found guilty of murder in the Jan. 26, 2015, shooting of Tyrone Underwood, who reportedly identified as a woman. (Gregg County Sheriff's Office) Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Former college football player convicted of killing transgender girlfriend 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

An East Texas jury on Thursday convicted a former college football player in the murder of his transgender girlfriend.

The Tyler Morning Telegraph reported a jury deliberated for two hours before returning the guilty verdict, which prompted 21-year-old Carlton Ray Champion to stand and shout, "I'll be back on the streets."

RELATED: Police investigating Tyler transgender woman's death as a homicide

Champion, who played football at Texas College in Tyler, had been charged with the shooting death of 24-year-old Ty Underwood, whose body was found last Jan. 26 in a car crashed into a utility pole in Tyler, Texas.

An arrest affidavit for Champion, issued in February, said he may have killed Underwood after she confronted him about seeing someone else. Other reports indicated Champion killed Underwood upon discovering she was transgender, although Tyler police disputed that claim.

KLTV in Tyler reported prosecutors in the trial argued that only Champion had met Underwood on the night of her death, and they cited text messages as evidence of the meeting. Defense attorneys argued that the text messages prove the couple planned to meet, but do not prove that they actually did.

Champion could face life in prison.