Dominique Rem’mie Fells: Man convicted in gruesome 2020 murder of transgender woman in Philadelphia
Dominique Rem’mie Fells: Man convicted of gruesome 2020 murder of transgender woman in Philadelphia
Prosecutors on Monday shared gruesome details about the brutal 2020 murder of a transgender woman whose dismembered body was found in the Schuylkill River.
PHILADELPHIA - Prosecutors on Monday shared gruesome details about the brutal 2020 murder of a transgender woman whose dismembered body was found in the Schuylkill River.
Akhenaton Jones was convicted of stabbing Dominique Rem’mie Fells over 40 times at a Philadelphia apartment after a night of partying, authorities said on Monday.
He was arrested in Los Angeles months after the murder, but prosecutors said his trial was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, which forced courts to close in Philly.
The backstory:
Investigators say the dismembered body parts of Dominique Rem’mie Fells were found by a passerby floating in the Schuylkill River in June 2020.
Investigators soon developed Akhenaton Jones after speaking with two witnesses who were with him and Fells at an apartment in Philly on the night of the murder.
Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski told reporters that both witnesses recalled seeing Fells and Jones enter a bedroom before they briefly left the property.
When the witnesses returned to the home, Toczylowski said Fells lifeless body was lying on the bed and the room was "covered in blood."
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Police identify suspect in murder of transgender woman Dominique Rem'mie Fells
An arrest warrant has been issued in connection to the murder of a transgender Philadelphia woman.
A search warrant of the home uncovered the suspected murder weapon – a knife – along with an electric saw covered in blood and a blood stained hazmat suit.
Jones fled to California after an arrest warrant was issued, and he was taken into custody in Los Angeles in November.
Investigators found Jones' DNA on the knife and on the hazmat suit. Jones was also seen on video hauling trash bags of Fells' remains out of the home.
Jones was convicted on Monday of first-degree murder and possession of an instrument of crime.
What we don't know:
Prosecutors admitted on Monday that the motive for the murder still remains unclear.
"I don't know that we'll ever necessarily know for sure," Toczylowski said. "To stab her 40 times, I can think of nothing more hateful."
Prosecutors refuted Jones account of the story, during which they say he tried to pin the murder on one of the witnesses, but admitted to dismembering Fells.
What they're saying:
Family members of Dominique Rem’mie Fells spoke at a press conference on Monday to announce Jones's conviction.
"The verdict last Monday brought justice for our daughter, Dominique Rem'mie, but it doesn't take away the pain of losing her," her mother said.
Assistant District Attorney Toczylowski called the killing "one of the most savage and personal and hateful crimes" she has ever seen.