Feb. 26--The last words spoken by a 21-year-old transgender woman shot to death in December were integral to detectives working on her case, police said Thursday after they announced the arrest of a suspect in the killing.
Robert James Spells, 30, of Inglewood was taken into custody about 4 p.m. Wednesday on a parole violation. Spells is suspected of fatally shooting Deshawnda Sanchez about 4 a.m. on Dec. 3.
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FOR THE RECORD
12:06 p.m.: An earlier version of this post omitted the first name of suspect Robert James Spells.
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Sanchez called 911 from the 6100 block of South Wilton Place to report that she had been robbed and assaulted, police said. As she pounded on the door of a nearby home, she told the dispatcher her attacker had returned. Gunshots rang out, and the line went silent. When police and paramedics arrived she was dead, police said.
Spells is suspected of pulling up to the home in his car, walking up to the woman and shooting her "for no reason," said LAPD Det. Chris Barling.
Barling said the "silent witnesses" in the case, such as DNA evidence, helped out as well. He said there was a relationship between Sanchez and Spells but declined to go into detail.
Gender identity is believed to have been a contributing factor in the attack, but it is unclear whether prosecutors will seek a hate crime allegation against Spells.
"In this case it is not clear cut," Barling told reporters Thursday at a news conference. "I think hate was used by Mr. Spells in killing Deshawnda."
Police have also tied Spells to the alleged sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl whom he also forced into prostitution, police said. Police are looking for additional victims.
Sanchez's sister, Diana Williams, said she has had a hard time sleeping since the killing and worried that the case would go unsolved. She said her sister, who loved to style hair and talked about becoming a doctor or attorney, didn't deserve to die in such a brutal way. Sanchez grew up in Compton and Watts.
"It's not complete until we go to court and I see for myself," she said.
Anyone with information can call the Criminal Gang Homicide Division at (213) 485-4341.
UPDATES
12:10 p.m.: This post has been updated with details on Sanchez's last words.
11:39 a.m.: This post has been updated with details of Deshawnda Sanchez's life.
11 a.m.: This post had been updated throughout with details on the investigation.
