Justice was partially served on Thursday as Antonio Currin, 31, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the 2023 killing of Chyna Long, a Black transgender woman who was shot to death while visiting her family in Milwaukee.
Currin was found guilty last month of first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firearm by a felon. His sentence includes 35 years in prison and 15 years of extended supervision.
The shooting occurred on October 8, 2023, near 89th and Dogwood. Police responded to the scene and found Long lying in the street, suffering from several fatal gunshot wounds. She was just 30 years old.
Surveillance footage from a nearby home captured a tan Chevrolet speeding away from the scene immediately after the shooting. Additional footage later showed the same vehicle driving down Good Hope Road toward Currin’s workplace. When police pulled over the tan Chevrolet two days later, Currin was behind the wheel and alone in the car.
A search of the vehicle uncovered critical evidence: a bullet casing that matched four others found at the scene, blood spatter, and a bullet hole in the passenger door. Despite Currin’s claims that he had been at work when the shooting happened, his employer confirmed he didn’t clock in until later that day.
During sentencing, Long’s father, Jonathan, spoke directly to Currin, offering words that carried both grief and compassion. “She lived her best life. She lived her truth and that’s what this case is about. One person living their truth and another person not living their truth,” he said. “I don’t have any hatred in my heart; I actually pray for you that you can come to grips with who you are as a man while you’re doing this time.”
Currin addressed the court briefly, asking Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Wagner for leniency. “I send my condolences out to the family, Your Honor, and I would just ask that you be lenient on me today,” he said.
But for Long’s loved ones, his words rang hollow. Azariah Jordan, Long’s cousin, said she felt Currin’s plea was “disingenuous,” describing it as a last-ditch effort for a lighter sentence rather than a genuine expression of remorse.
“Each day feels like the first, it still feels fresh to me, it still feels unreal and it’s unfair,” Jordan said.
Another cousin, Kendall Williamson, echoed that sentiment. “Regardless of how long his sentence is, it can never be enough for us because a life was taken from us,” Williamson said. “It’s just unfortunate that Chyna’s life had to be taken in that way because she was not a confrontational person at all.”
Chanae Gibson, also speaking on behalf of the family, expressed a bittersweet sense of relief. “Yes, he’s in prison but he still gets to eat every day, wake up every day, his family can talk to him every day,” she said. “At least we know that he’s not going to be here out on the street to be able to do this to someone else.”
Chyna Long was remembered as a caring dance teacher, a dedicated hairdresser, and a loving sister, daughter, and friend. For the Black transgender community and their allies, her murder is a devastating reminder of the violence they face all too often. Long’s life and spirit remain a rallying cry for justice, healing, and the right of all transgender people to live openly and safely.
