During her first date with a man she met on the BLK dating app, Tayla Smith, a 22-year-old Texas transgender woman, experienced a sudden and brutal attack. Kordel Roshon Stewart, 24, whom she had met on the app for young Black professionals, reportedly as*aulted her after an evening that seemed initially pleasant. The attack occurred at Smith’s house in Houston, where they had dinner, watched a movie, and became intimate in the bedroom.
As they were kissing, Stewart unexpectedly covered Smith’s mouth, produced a knife, and slashed her throat, leaving her with a significant wound. Smith, who shared pictures of the stitches on her neck, is now raising awareness about dating app safety, especially as it was later revealed that Stewart had a prior m*rder charge. The charge was dismissed in April 2023 due to an “unavailable and uncooperative eyewitness.”
Stewart had told Smith that he worked as a cook at Sonic Drive-In. Smith, who expressed shock over the incident, emphasized that BLK was her first and last dating app experience, and she never expected such an incident to happen to her.
A spokesperson for Match Group, the owner of BLK, condemned the allegations against Stewart and assured cooperation with law enforcement. Stewart was arrested on September 21 on a charge of aggravated as*ault with a deadly weapon and is held on a $125,000 bond. In 2020, he was previously arrested on a m*rder charge related to a fatal shooting in Texas City and had a history of serving jail time on a weapons charge.
Smith recounted that there were few “red flags” during their app interactions, but in person, Stewart exhibited forceful behavior, kissing her aggressively and revealing he couldn’t see his children. During the attack, Smith fought back and screamed, eventually escaping to alert neighbors who called the police. She required 12 stitches for her neck wound.
BLK advises caution in online interactions, urging users to inform friends and family of their plans with people they plan to meet in person, as stated on their dating safety tips webpage.