A church pastor shot a transgender woman dead in a bigoted hate crime, police say. Albert Weathers, 46, was charged with fatally shooting Kelly Stough, 36, in Detroit last Friday. Prosecutors said that they will present evidence that Stough’s transgender status had a role in her death.
Weathers came into contact with Stough on December 7 and Stough was found dead the morning after, although details about the how they met remain unclear, the Root reported. According to ABC, Weathers hurried into work and alerted police that he shot a would-be thief.
Weathers is a former pastor at a nearby church, but had been working at the Great Lakes Water Authority at the time of the alleged murder. Dana Nessel, President of the Fair Michigan Justice Project, said the murder ‘reflects the excessive brutality that members of Detroit’s transgender community constantly face.’ Stough’s Mother, Jessica, told Fox News that her daughter ‘was always a happy kid but bullied because of his tendencies.’
Kelly Stough was an aspiring fashion designer who came out as a transgender woman during college. Her murder was the 24th reported killing of a transgender person in the US this year.