Man Faces 25 Years For Killing, Dismembering Trans Woman, Community Leader In Philadelphia

A Philadelphia man has been sentenced to 25 to 50 years in state prison for heinously killing and dismembering a transgender woman, who was also a passionate advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, in 2019.

Troy Bailey, 30, allegedly shot and killed Michelle “Tamika” Washington, a 40-year-old transgender woman, on the 3400 block of North 11th Street in the Franklinville neighborhood of North Philly on May 20, 2019. Bailey has been found guilty of third-degree murder and firearm offenses during a bench trial in early May after the investigators linked the bullets used in the fatal shooting to live rounds found in his home, according to 6ABC.

Washington, who was a passionate advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and a mentor to her peers, was pronounced dead at Temple University Hospital. However, the District Attorney has ruled out that the murder was a potential targeted "hate crime."

“We do not believe Ms. Washington was killed because she was a transgender woman,” Chesley Lightsey, Assistant District Attorney said.

Washington’s sister Crystal Davis said that she thought she would be relieved by the sentence Bailey received for the murder of her sister. However, she expressed that her sentiments changed when she saw how the defendant acted without remorse during his sentencing hearing on July 22.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive him,” Davis said.

Amber Hikes, who works with Philadelphia's Office of LGBT Affairs, said that Washington was a brilliant and outgoing member of the city's transgender community and showered praises for her advocacy and mentorship, WHYY reported.

"Her life was just cut way too short," Davis said. "She had so much more work here to do."

According to the Human Rights Campaign, at least 31 transgender or gender nonconforming people have already been murdered this year alone in the United States. There has been an increase in the murders of transgenders or gender-nonconforming people when compared to 2019. Some 44 killings were reported by the agency last year, most of which reportedly involved "clear anti-transgender bias."

The same week Bailey was sentenced, Akhenaton Jones was held on trial for allegedly murdering Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells, a 27-year-old transgender woman in June last year, PhillyVoice reported.

Jones, 37, allegedly killed Fells, dismembered her body, and dumped the remains on the banks of the Schuylkill River near Bartram’s Garden in Southwest Philadelphia.