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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police say they have arrested two men for the murders of two transgender women in Charlotte that occurred in the last two weeks.
Police say 21-year-old Dontarius Long and 33-year-old Joel Brewer have been identified as suspects in these homicides.
Dontarius Long & Joel Brewer
Brewer was arrested on Friday, April 16th and charged with two counts of murder, two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon, according to police.
Detectives say Brewer is being held in custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.
Long, also arrested on Friday, is charged with murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon for his involvement, and he will be transferred into custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.
Click to watch full CMPD news conference.
Detectives say this investigation and arrest of both suspects was a collaborative effort with CMPD’s Homicide Unit, VCAT, Armed Robbery Unit, Real-Time Crime Center, Crime Analysis Division, and Crime Laboratory. CMPD also thanks the Union County Sheriff’s Office, Marshville Police Department, SLED, FBI, and the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.
Police ask anyone with more information regarding these two cases to call 704-432-TIPS to speak directly with a Homicide Unit detective or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
Original Story (4/15/21):
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department held a news conference on Thursday to warn anyone in the LGBTQ+ community engaged in sex work to exercise extreme caution after two trans women were murdered in hotel rooms within two weeks of each other.
Police say two transgender women engaged in sex work were killed in separate hotel rooms in Charlotte on April 4th and April 15th.
Investigators say they have not determined if the two homicides are connected, but considering the similar circumstances of the victims’ deaths, they are asking all LGBTQ+ sex workers to be careful and call 911 immediately if they notice anything suspicious.
Click to see CMPD news conference on Facebook.
Officers say on April 4th they responded to a welfare check around 1:45 p.m. at a hotel on Queen City Drive in Charlotte.
At the scene, officers say they found an unresponsive person in one of the hotel rooms, who has now been identified as 29-year-old Jaida Peterson.
Peterson is described as a Black transgender woman, and police say although they have not determined a motive for this crime, they are now investigating her death as a homicide.
Transgender rights advocates including officials with Charlotte Uprising say they are frustrated by the response from authorities since they deadnamed and misgendered her in reports.
P.C. @cltuprising
On April 15th just before 2:30 a.m., officers say they responded to another welfare check on North Tryon Street at a Sleep Inn in Charlotte.
Officers say when they arrived at the scene, they found a victim suffering from a fatal wound.
Detectives say the second victim, another transgender woman identified as 28-year-old Remy Fennell, died at the scene.
Remy Fennell
The investigation into this case remains active and ongoing.
Police ask anyone with more information regarding these two cases to call 704-432-TIPS to speak directly with a Homicide Unit detective or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
Click here for more information on the latest homicide at the Sleep Inn on North Tryon Street, or click here for more information on the April 4th homicide at a hotel on Queen City Drive.
