A man from Wisconsin has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firearm by a felon in connection to the killing of a transgender woman, Cashay Henderson, in Milwaukee in February.
Wisconsin man pleads not guilty to charges of killing a transgender woman in Milwaukee
The accused, Cordell M. Howze, 33, of Neenah, was charged after the Milwaukee Fire Department responded to a structure fire at around 9:20 am on February 26, where firefighters found the victim unconscious and not breathing. She was taken from the building and appeared to have suffered a possible gunshot wound to the left cheek. After taking over the investigation, the Milwaukee Police Department found blood on the wall and items such as a gas can, suggesting that the fire was arson. The Chief Medical Examiner of Milwaukee County determined that Henderson died of multiple gunshot wounds, declaring it a homicide.
Investigators spoke to a friend of Howze who identified him from a photo and revealed that Howze allegedly told him he “caught the body of a disgusting (expletive) tran” and also showed him a video on his phone that appeared to show a dead African American woman with blood on her head. The friend claimed that Howze was in possession of a 9mm handgun with a green laser and an extended magazine.
Howze had allegedly put his phone in airplane mode so the police could not track him and had stated he wanted to kill several other people
Howze is expected to be arraigned on June 15. The case highlights the ongoing violence against transgender individuals, particularly transgender women of color, in the United States. According to a report by the Human Rights Campaign, at least 44 transgender or gender non-conforming individuals were violently killed in the country in 2020, with the majority of the victims being transgender women of color.