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Man accused of killing transgender woman in DC charged with hate crime: USAO

By FOX 5 DC Digital Team
Published  September 19, 2025 10:59pm EDT
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FOX 5 DC
Suspect in custody months after transgender woman's murder

Suspect in custody months after transgender woman's murder

A suspect is now in custody months after a transgender woman was murdered in Northeast D.C. early this summer. Tonight her family spoke exclusively with our Sydney Persing.

The Brief

    • The Office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C. announced that the man accused of killing a transgender woman earlier this year is facing a hate crime charge.
    • The USAO says Edgar Arrington, 38, has been charged with first-degree murder while armed, with a hate crime enhancement.
    • The victim, 28-year-old Daquane "Dream" Johnson, was killed in July. She identified as female.

WASHINGTON - The man accused of killing a transgender woman in Northeast D.C. has officially been charged with a hate crime, according to the U.S. Attorney for D.C. 

D.C.'s top prosecutor, Jeanine Pirro, announced on Thursday that Edgar Arrington, 38, has been charged with first-degree murder while armed, with a hate crime enhancement.

MPD previously said this was not being investigated as a hate crime but the DOJ now says this was motivated by the victim’s gender identity.

The backstory:

The homicide that occurred in the early morning hours of July 5, 2025, in Northeast D.C.

According to police, 28-year-old Daquane "Dream" Johnson was gunned down in the 2000 block of Benning Road, NE. 

Officers were flagged down around 12:51 a.m. and found Johnson unconscious, suffering from gunshot wounds. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.  

At the time, the police department did not acknowledge Johnson’s gender identity or list the incident as a suspected hate crime but family members and longtime LGBTQ+ activists said they believed that’s what provoked the attack. 

Dig deeper:


The DOJ now says that Arrington, a stranger to the victim, was ridiculing Johnson for being transgender as she walked by him on the sidewalk. 

Officials say Arrington then continued his harassment of Johnson by hurling slurs at her, ultimately pulling a gun and shooting the unarmed victim multiple times. 

Johnson died as a result of the injuries.

Arrest made:

Months later, on Sept. 17, Arrington was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Rowan County, N.C. 

Arrington made his initial appearance on Thursday, where a judge found probable cause that Arrington committed the offense of first-degree murder while armed, with a hate crime enhancement (gender identity).

The judge ordered that Arrington be held without bond pending a preliminary hearing on Oct. 7. 

NewsWashington, D.C.Crime and Public Safety