Suspect in custody months after transgender woman murdered in DC
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.
WASHINGTON - A suspect is now in custody months after a transgender woman was murdered in Northeast D.C. early this summer.
Her family spoke exclusively with FOX 5 on Wednesday.
A heartbroken family:
Daquane Johnson, who went by the name Dream, was shot the first week of July.
Ever since, her family has prayed police would find the person responsible. U.S. Marshals finally did this past week, and they found him in North Carolina.
The backstory:
Dream Johnson was only 28 years old when she was shot to death in Northeast, D.C., on July 5.
For three months, Dream’s mother, Iris Terrell, has waited for word of an arrest. On Thursday, it finally came.
"I felt like I didn't have anything else to live for," Iris said. "He’s going to get what's coming to him.’
READ MORE: 28-year-old transgender woman killed in Northeast DC, reports say
The arrest :
U.S. Marshals apprehended the suspect, 38-year-old Edgar Arrington, in Rowan County, N.C. He’s charged with first-degree murder while armed, premeditated.
She said Dream was transgender. Investigators have not yet revealed a motive but her family believes the crime was committed due to her gender identity.
"You aint just shoot once. You emptied the clip, because that's what they said," Dream’s aunt, Vanna, told FOX 5.
MPD says the case is not being investigated as a hate crime. Dream’s family, though, still believes the shooting was likely motivated by her identity.
"Their lives matter too," Iris said. "My baby's life mattered to me and to everyone. If she wasn't loved by the world she was loved by us and we accepted her for who she was."
What's next:
Dream’s family said they’ll advocate for Arrington to get a maximum life sentence, if he's convicted.
"I can’t get my baby back, but I can get my baby justice," Iris told FOX 5.
The family says they will continue to share her story, which they believe sends a very clear message.
"Stay true to yourself, embrace who you are–like Dream did," Vanna said.
Dream’s family said they’ll be in court on Thursday for Arrington’s arraignment in D.C.