A 36-year-old man has been arrested in Los Angeles in connection with the June killing and mutilation in Philadelphia of transgender fashion designer Dominique Rem’mie Fells [shown above].
Akhenaton Jones was taken into custody on Monday, Nov. 9, by members of the Los Angeles Police Department.
“We are awaiting extradition. Further information will be released upon availability,” the LAPD said in a statement. It is unclear when Jones will be extradited. A warrant had been issued in June by Philadelphia authorities for his arrest.
36-year-old Akhenaton Jones is a suspect in the brutal murder of Dominique Rem’mie Fells. If you have any information that can help investigators apprehend Jones, contact @PhillyPolice anonymous tip line: 215-686-TIPS (8477) or @PhillyLGBTgov. https://t.co/YCWWx9BFAM
— Philadelphia DAO (@philadao) June 17, 2020
Related Story: Halle Berry Walks Away From Role as Transgender Man After Criticism
Fells, 27, was killed on June 7. According to NBC Philadelphia, the freelance fashion designer’s body was discovered floating in the Schuylkill River. Her legs had been severed and were found inside plastic bags by divers at the bottom of the river during an unrelated search for two missing teenagers.
Fells was passionate about her fashion career, and organized a fashion show last year for transgender empowerment.
“She was a person who could light up a room even when she was being quiet,” Fells’ father told the TV station in June. “The one thing that stood out about her is she did her own thing with confidence, which as a family we all embraced.”
The Human Rights Campaign has described violence against transgender individuals as a “national epidemic.” In 2019, at least 25 transgender people were fatally shot or killed by other means in the U.S. The organization says 91 percent of the victims were Black women.
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