Forthcoming

The Wind Blew Through Us

Love, Murder, & Justice in Texas

by Chivas Sandage

with Kristene Chapa

forthcoming from the University of Texas Press

“Waves crashed close to us. Blindfolded, gagged, Mollie in front of me, we stood waiting for what felt like very long minutes. The salty air tightened my throat. I heard wind hitting the grasses. Moving through the trees, strong and constant. The shivering leaves. It felt like the wind was moving through my body. As if the wind blew through us. There was just enough moonlight. Through the gap I’d made in the duct tape, I saw tall blonde grasses slanting in the wind. Heard the blast of his gun. The sound so close. My body jolted. I heard a loud, wild ringing in my right ear. Still standing, I wondered who he’d shot. Saw blonde grass as I fell. Hit the ground and everything went dark.”

(excerpt from THE WIND BLEW THROUGH US)

On the night of June 22, 2012, a lone gunman sexually assaulted then shot, execution-style, a Latina, teenage, lesbian couple in a suburban South Texas park. Nine hours later, bird watchers found Mollie Judith Olgin, 19, and Mary “Kristene” Chapa, 18, on a windy coastal bluff that slopes into Corpus Christi Bay. Both girls had been shot in the back of the head at point-blank range. Mollie died at the scene. Miraculously, Kristene survived.

When Kristene woke in a hospital, she could not speak, open her eyes, or move her left side but she remembered the gunman’s face. As she gained strength, she began to sign with her right hand—at first her only way to communicate—and helped police create a composite sketch of the gunman.

Kristene Chapa spent the next three and a half months living in rehabilitation centers. Her head injury left her with different degrees of paralysis on the left side of her body, vision and hearing loss, debilitating migraines, and post-traumatic stress disorder. She had to learn how to walk again and how to navigate daily life without the use of her left arm and hand. But Kristene resisted her new identity as a “victim.”

She posted “I Take Bullets” as her tagline on Twitter, tossed herself into a swimming pool to keep her therapists on their toes, and as a former MVP on her high school softball team, managed to throw the first pitch of their next season. On Facebook and Twitter, Kristene’s sarcastic humor and stubborn courage inspired her followers across the nation. Meanwhile, her attacker remained free.

On June 20, 2014, the gunman and his wife were arrested. David Strickland, 27, was charged with capital murder, aggravated sexual assault, and aggravated assault. Laura Strickland, 23, faced charges of tampering with evidence. Later, all charges against Laura were dropped. In September 2016, David Strickland was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole. In February 2020, the Thirteenth Court of Appeals affirmed the guilty verdict.

The Wind Blew Through Us explores tragedy and a search for justice set against changing attitudes about sexual orientation and gender identity in the contemporary American South. This book is the portrait of a crime and its consequences for a young couple, their families and communities, and women, girls, and LGBTQ people across the nation. The Wind Blew Through Us is the first book to tell Kristene and Mollie’s story and only the second narrative nonfiction book authored by gay women to address violence against gay women in America. 

While this case was not tried as a hate crime, Sandage explores the questions of whether the fatal attack was bias-motivated, why police and prosecutors brushed aside evidence of a hate crime, why bias crimes are rarely brought to trial in Texas and across our country, and the ramifications for all of us. The safety and rights of women, girls, and LGBTQ people, especially those who are people of color and suffer disproportionate levels of violence, are debated daily in the U.S. and this book aims to change the conversation.

Kristene Chapa’s own writing and intimate voice weave throughout the book, telling her remarkable story of loving and losing Mollie, and how she continues to reclaim her body and her life. Among the growing number of tragedies caused by gun violence, too rare are the voices of victims who survive—especially young women like Kristene Chapa who thrive despite all odds.

NATIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE (selected)

The View (Oct. 29, 2019): Part 1 & Part 2

Truth About Murder with Sunny Hostin (October 29, 2019)

MSNBC “Originals” documentary (Feb. 9, 2017)

In May of 2015, the Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) flew Kristene Chapa to New York City to speak and present at the GLAAD Media Awards held at the historic Waldorf Astoria. During the awards ceremony, Kristene’s story was featured and she received two standing ovations. BuzzFeed interviewed Kristene before the awards, and her speech was covered by other media outlets including After Ellen, Out, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, The Daily Mail, Yahoo, and many more. Variety referred to Kristene’s speech as a “standout moment.” Celebrities including Michael Sam and Orange Is the New Black cast members Dascha Polanco, Ruby Rose, and Jackie Cruz befriended Kristene at the awards.

WATCH KRISTENE CHAPA’S SPEECH 

Additional info:

Autostraddle (May 2015)

GLAAD (Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation): Dec. 2014, Nov. 2014, July 2014

HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE:

To support Kristene Chapa’s medical fund click here!        

© Chivas Sandage and Kristene Chapa 2014-2024. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Chivas Sandage and Kristene Chapa with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.