A man who killed a trans woman he was dating after learning of her sex change may serve nearly 50 years in prison in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
DeAllen Price, then 29, was dating Taya Ashton, a transgender woman, who was 20 years older. In 2021, Ashton was shot and killed in her Suitland room. Price admitted guilt to the deadly firing and was given a 60-year prison sentence on Wednesday, with all but 48 of those years being suspended.
The day after Ashton’s body was discovered inside her Suitland house, Price was detained by police after he ran onto the tracks inside a Metrorail pipe in Arlington, Virginia. Additionally, the weapon that police claimed was used in the murder was discovered in a hole close to the Pentagon City station. According to authorities, Price even had a case that had been taken from Ashton’s room when he was arrested, according to WTOP.
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Price explained why he killed Ashton during his sentencing.
According to Assistant State’s Attorney Sherrie Waldrup, “[He] told the judge that he was involved in an intimate relationship with Taya and that that night was the first time he learned that she was not born a girl.” In response to that, he reacted and shot her. It’s just a cold thing to note, I must say. It’s horrible, I mean. It’s not acceptable. It most certainly isn’t a defense or justification for what transpired with Taya.
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Aisha Braveboy, the attorney for Prince George’s County State, said on Wednesday during an online news conference that Ashton had a life that was just as important as any other.
Her passing “represents so much more in terms of our community’s compassion for those who want to express themselves and live their lives on their own terms.” According to Braveboy, someone who makes that decision should be respected because their lives are just as important as anyone else’s.
In 2023, at least 32 trans or gender expansive people were killed, and more than 80% of them were people of color, according to statistics from the Human Rights Campaign.
Krystal Oriadha, a member of the District 7 County Council, added that the trans community experienced one of its deadliest years in 2021 during the news conference.
Over 375 transgender people were murdered in 2021, according to Oriadha.
Trans people “want to be loved…to be accepted for who they are,” according to transgender community activist Karen Kendra Holmes, who spoke to DC News Today. Holmes collaborates with numerous coalitions in Prince George’s County to provide the trans community with the support and safe space they require.
Prince George’s County has taken a really powerful stance on that, she said, adding, “We’re trying to do resolutely.” “I’m trying to [impact] as many people as possible who simply do the same thing, helping someone else out there because once you do, it will only serve to inspire and assist someone who truly needs your help.
