BALTIMORE– Following an argument last month, a rally will be held on Tuesday to oppose the release of the man accused of killing a transgender woman in Bel Air.
After killing 57-year-old Meghan Riley Lewis last month, Brian Delen, 47, was detained and charged with first-degree assault, weapon, and second-degree death.
Following a bail hearing on December 29, Delen was released on GPS tracking.
The rally was organized by Baltimore Safe Haven, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, to ensure Lewis’s murder wasn’t just another statistic but also a catalyst for change.
Some people think Delen shouldn’t have been released at all, and they’re pushing for him to be charged with a hate crime as well.
Baltimore Safe Haven is pushing for stronger hate crime regulations, particularly protecting transgender people.
According to friends, the woman who was killed in the Bel Air shooting was a “loving” advocate for the LGBTQ+ area.
The rally will begin at the Harford County Courthouse Tuesday night at 8 a.m.
According to Bel Air Police, Delen and Lewis, a trans woman, got into an argument while he was delivering food to the English Country Manor community on December 27.
According to charging documents, Delen had seen Lewis approaching his car and had said something along the lines of “Are you waiting for a food delivery, sir.”
According to court documents, Delen claimed that Lewis started yelling at him after becoming offended by his comments and thinking he had mistreated her.
Lewis followed Delen on foot as he started to drive away. According to charging papers, he eventually stopped his car and re-engaged with Lewis, which is when they got into a fight.
According to court records, Delen then pulled out a gun and shot Lewis in the stomach.
According to the authorities, responding officers found Lewis in the parking lot. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she passed away.
Related: GPS house tracking revealed a suspect in the transgender Bel Air woman’s murder, and she was given the go-ahead to turn over her weapons.
Lewis’s friends expressed their shock at the murder of a person they knew to be kind and sympathetic to WJZ.
“I was utterly horrified,” Zosia Zaks remarked. “At first, I couldn’t even believe it.”
Lewis, according to Zaks, often put others before herself. According to her buddies, she established a patient support group for transgender people traveling to Baltimore for life-saving surgery and she welcomed anyone who needed assistance.
According to Delen’s public defender, he had a “solid self-defense explanation.” According to the public keeper, Delen supposedly dialed 911 after Lewis was shot and received assistance using his own first aid kit.
Delen had a use and carry permit, according to charging records. Delen may spend up to 85 years in prison if found guilty.
