Suspect in murder of transgender woman arrested

A suspect in the murder of a transgender woman in Philadelphia over the summer was captured on the other side of the country, police said Monday night.

Akhenaton Jones, 36, who has been on the run since June, was arrested in Los Angeles and authorities are awaiting his extradition.

He is expected to be charged with murder, evidence tampering, abusing a corpse and other crimes for allegedly killing 27-year-old Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells, whose dismembered body was found June 8 in the Schuylkill River near Bartram’s Garden in Southwest Philadelphia.

Investigators have not revealed a possible motive in the murder.

Fells’ death drew renewed attention to violence against members of the transgender community, particularly towards Black transgender women.

At least 34 trans or gender non-conforming people have been murdered in 2020, according to the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy organization. A majority have been Black or Latinx trans women.