Friend of woman killed relieved after arrest made

jail tonight… accused of killing a transgender woman. 21-year-old anthony michael bowden was arrested yesterday. el paso police are not yet saying how he allegedly killed eryka ti-jerina. police found the body of 36-year-old eric tijerina, who went by “eryka” inside a housing complex on the 200 block of libson last month. this is video from day when police swarmed the complex and kept residents out of their own apartments. from the beginning, police say they suspected foul play but no other details were ever released. abc-7 called the medical examiner’s office and learned the autopsy report is not ready yet. until then, police aren’t saying anything about how tijerina was killed. fort bliss officials say the murder suspect, anthony bowden, was assigned to the post in january 2014. he was a patriot missile crewman with the 11th air defense artillery brigade. tijerina’s friends can rest easy tonight knowing the man who allegedly murdered the transgender woman is behind bars. abc-7’s josie ortegon is live with that story… rick, estela. few details in tijerina’s death, but a close friend tells me the arrest is the first step in getting the justice they hope for: “we would get together and just laugh, music, she was a big music lover.” chyna fierr smiles as she thinks about the simpler times–when her best friend, erykah tijerina, was still alive. “at 36, yea that life was cut short.” tijerina’s body was found in august and for the past couple of weeks, her group of friends have been living in fear. “confused and most al scared…scared that someone was going around killing transgender girls and it really, really scared me.” while police have yet to say how tijerina died or release a motive, the fact t hat an arrest has been made, brings a sense of relief “sighs…i cried. so happy. i’m so…i’m also mad.” sh describes tijerina as big hearted, and sometimes too giving: “she wa really funny, if she liked you, it was let’s go out, she was going to pay for everything.” but if she didn’t — “i she had a vibe about you, that was it, she would keep away from you.” which is wh fierro says she knows her best friend fought to stay alive– “something wen wrong, and erykah is a fighter, she always has been and growing up transgender, you become a fighter, you get bullied, a lot.” she says she doesn’ understand why erykah’s life was taken but is grateful for the time they had together: “it took awhile t understand that but she had a big heart.” bowden is being held at the el paso county detention facility under a $750-thousand dollar bond. happening right now… jurors are deciding if a former utep