A Chicago man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after confessing to fatally shooting a woman who revealed that she was transgender, three years ago.
In June 2020, we first reported how Orlando Perez, an 18-year-old student at Bogan High School, had shot and killed 37-year-old Selena Reyes-Hernandez on May 31. The shooting happened after he met her at her home, in the 3300 block of West 71st Street, that morning.
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At the time, Brendan Deenihan, Chief of Detectives for the Chicago Police, had claimed that Perez, who is now 21, was hanging out at Hernandez’s apartment when he asked her if she was a woman. The Chicago man became enraged after Hernandez revealed to him that she was transgender.
After the revelation, the Chicago man left her home, and moments later, prosecutors said he came back with a gun and with his face covered. Chicago Police said they obtained surveillance video of him wielding a firearm as he neared her home.
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Once Perez reached her apartment and opened the door, he went inside and shot Hernandez in the head and back. For a second time, Perez fled from her home and then returned again to fire more bullets into her chest, neck, and hand.
During the initial bail hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy claimed Perez “kept seeing her face,” and it made him “mad as hell,” so he returned to Hernandez’s place and fired more shots into her body as she was on the floor.
Hernandez’s family members would soon discover her body after hearing noises coming from the basement of the home. Upon Perez’s arrest, the first-time offender confessed to authorities about the fatal shooting and was charged with first-degree murder, with bail denied.
Chicago Police also said that they had obtained photos and a video on the victim’s phone that confirmed Perez was in her home, and even seen washing his hands before the murder.
Since his June 2020 arrest, it is now being reported that 21-year-old Orlando Perez has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for murdering Selena Reyes-Hernandez, a 37-year-old transgender woman.
After pleading guilty to first-degree murder on Thursday (September 14), Judge Nicholas Kantas ordered him to nearly 40 years in prison. Meanwhile, it is noted that the prosecutors in the case offered the Chicago man a plea deal that involved them dropping multiple counts of first-degree murder, armed robbery, home invasion, and burglary.
According to National Black Justice Coalition Executive Director David J. Johns, Selena Reyes-Hernandez became the 17th transgender person known to have been murdered in 2020. He emphasized that there is a need for increased protection and respect for transgender lives.
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