A North Philadelphia man is wanted in the 2022 murder of a black transgender man, District Attorney Larry Krasner said Wednesday.
Homicide investigators have identified Charles Mitchell, 40, as the person likely responsible for the death of Mar’quis “MJ” Jackson late last year, Krasner said.
The prosecutor’s office has approved an arrest warrant for Mithcell. Upon his apprehension and arrest, he will be charged with murder, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.
Jackson was found dead in the Nicetown-Tioga neighborhood of Philadelphia on December 14, 2022. Police say his body was recovered “face down in a backyard,” with “multiple blunt force trauma to the head, along with scratches, cuts , and bruises on the hands and legs.”
Described by friends as “full of life and love” who would “get the party started anywhere,” Jackson was one of at least 38 reported murders of trans and non-binary people in the US last year. past.
Krasner made the announcement at a news conference at Galaei, a social justice organization that advocates for queer and trans people of color in Philadelphia. He was joined by family and friends of Jackson, as well as loved ones of other victims of anti-trans violence.
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“One of the things that Charles said to my mother, to her face, when my mother found my brother, was ‘I didn’t know if it was a man or a woman,'” Jackson’s sister, Markiya Jackson, said during the press. conference. “Gender should never matter.”
Authorities are now asking the public for help in locating the suspect.
“If you have credible information that could help police locate Charles Mitchell so he can be held accountable for his alleged actions, please call 911 or the PPD tip line, 215-686-TIPS (8477),” Krasner said.
According to reports, at least five trans and gender non-conforming people were killed in Pennsylvania in 2022.
Jackon’s death came just weeks after the murder of Shahere “Diamond” Jackson-McDonald, a 27-year-old black trans woman.
Jackson-McDonald (no relation) was shot to death in her mother’s apartment in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia on Thanksgiving Day.
His death is still under investigation.