Calif. Man Arrested for Murder of Trans Woman

A man from Southern California was arrested Tuesday in the connection of the June murder of a transgender woman, who was also a transgender activist. According to NBC Los Angeles, police officials say they are not investigating the slaying as a hate crime.

Randy Lee Parkerson, 38, of Anaheim, Calif., was arrested in his vehicle Tuesday, Anaheim police Lt. Bob Dunn said in a press release. He is being held in connection to the murder of Zoraida Reyes, 29, of Santa Ana, Calif. Reuters points out his vehicle was located close to the scene of the crime.

Reyes' body was found in an Anaheim Dairy Queen parking lot on June 12.

Shortly after Reyes was killed, about 120 people gathered to honor the activist, holding signs that read, "Trans lives matter" and "Love and respect our transgender community."

"I didn't know the family my daughter had, but I thank you," Macrina Reyes, the activist's mother, said in Spanish, this summer. "I know she's here uniting us."

"For many the lives of transgender people don't matter and they're viewed as disposable," Jorge Gutierrez, a friend of the victim, told the Los Angeles Times in an interview. "We know that her identity as a trans woman was a huge factor, whether the police want to acknowledge it or not."

Reyes was an active member with transgender and immigration rights groups.

Police have yet to reveal how Reyes died, but they said there was no evidence that she was a target because she was a trans woman. Dunn said detectives were not investigating the case as a hate crime.

Reuters reports that Reyes' autopsy was inconclusive.

Parkerson was arrested on a murder charge and is being held on $1 million bail.