Boyfriend Arrested in Murder of Transgender Woman in New York

Equan Southall was arrested last week in connection with the murder of his girlfriend Camila Guzman, a transgender woman found stabbed to death in her East Harlem apartment earlier this month.

 DNAinfo reports on the arrest of Southall, a 25-year-old man from Brooklyn who had been in a relationship with Guzman for four months. The victim was found dead August 1 with multiple stab wounds to her back.

“The suspect had five prior arrests, including grand larceny and possession of a concealed weapon, officials said,” according to DNAinfo.

 El Diario La Prensa, the Spanish-language daily in New York, reports that Southall walked into the 23rd precinct in East Harlem last Tuesday and confessed to the killing. Police would not comment on a motive for the crime, but friends described an abusive relationship in which Southall stole items from Guzman.

Southall is charged with second-degree murder with a maximum of 25 years in prison. He was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court Wednesday.

Guzman, who was 38, came to New York from Chile nearly a decade ago seeking the opportunity to live openly as a transgender woman. Friends and advocates memorialized her and called for justice during a vigil August 11 in East Harlem.