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Accused Killer of Cleveland Trans Woman Appears in Court, Makes No Plea

Accused Killer of Cleveland Trans Woman Appears in Court, Makes No Plea

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Andrey Bridges is charged with aggravated murder in the death of Cemia Dove.

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Andrey Bridges, charged with aggravated murder in the death of Cleveland transgender woman Cemia Dove, entered no plea during a brief court appearance this afternoon, and he was assigned a public defender.

Bridges, 36, of Parma, Ohio, was arrested a week ago and faces additional charges of kidnapping, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse, Cleveland's Plain Dealer reports.

Dove's body was found in a pond in Olmsted Township, a suburban area west of Cleveland, April 17. She had been stabbed to death, and her body had a rope around the waist, tied to a concrete block and a steel pipe. She had been reported missing March 27.

Dove, 20, was born Carl Acoff. News coverage of her death has come in for much criticism for referring to her by her birth name and male pronouns, and for generally showing a lack of understanding of transgender issues.

Bond for Bridges was set at $5 million. He has a substantial criminal record, The Plain Dealer notes, including "convictions for aggravated assault, burglary, domestic violence, theft, drug possession and attempted drug trafficking." He has served four prison terms, the last ending in July 2011. Last year he was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to a charge of aggravated assault stemming from a 2010 attack on a man and a woman; the woman was his former common-law wife.

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.