A Detroit pastor has been charged with first-degree murder for shooting Kelly Stough, a trans woman. After Albert Weathers allegedly shot her to death, he fled the scene and proceeded to head to work at the Great Lakes Water Authority, reports local Detroit news.
An hour after the murder, the 46-year-old pastor called the police claiming he shot a person attempting to rob him.
Weathers' lawyer, David Cripps, maintains his client's innocence, calling the $1 million bond set by the court "outrageous." He hopes to lower the bond based on the client's strong ties to the community, including his religious congregation, Logo's Church.
The case has been assigned to Special Prosecutor Jaimie Powell Horowitz of the Fair Michigan Justice Project (FMJP). The FMJP works specifically with hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community.
Fair Michigan President Dana Nessel said, "This case reflects the excessive brutality that members of Detroit's transgender community constantly face. We thank the Detroit Police Department for their efforts to investigate the facts of this tragic crime."
"She was loved," said Jessica Williams-Stough, the victim's mother. "She had a lot of people who loved her. She just wasn't nobody."
Williams-Stough and the rest of Kelly's family have created a GoFundMe page in her memory, which has currently exceeded it's $4,000 goal.
