Chicago police recently arrested a 24-year-old man named Deandre Bell for allegedly beating 31-year-old Black transgender woman Davonta Curtis to death with a hammer in her own apartment. Bell — who was reportedly Curtis’ on-again, off-again boyfriend — also allegedly stole her money, phone, and car after killing her on Easter, April 5.
Before the murder, Bell allegedly conducted internet searches for “how to kill someone with a hammer” and “if a person gets hit in the head with a hammer while sleeping what happens,” according to court documents cited by The Chicago Sun-Times.
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On the day of her death, Bell and Curtis delivered Easter supplies to her sister and then returned to Curtis’ apartment. Surveillance video in the apartment complex captured Bell leaving Curtis’ residence alone around 1 a.m.
After not being able to reach her by phone, Curtis’ sister visited her apartment and discovered her corpse on April 8 — it was naked, partially covered by a sheet, and surrounded by a large pool of blood, The Chicago Tribune reported. Her sister contacted the police. Medical examiners concluded that Curtis had died of blunt force injuries.
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Investigators reportedly found Bell in possession of Curtis’ car and keys. They also reportedly found a bloody hammer in his backpack. He reportedly admitted to killing Curtis and now faces charges of first-degree murder and possession of a stolen vehicle. Both charges could result in a combined sentence of 23 to 67 years in prison.
Curtis’ murder occurred just 23 days after the lethal March 13 shooting of Black trans activist and performer Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray. Sanchez-McCray was thought to be the first reported case of a Black trans woman killed by gun violence this year.
Black trans women accounted for 78.6% of all trans-identified murder victims who died between January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2021, according to a November 2024 study. Among the Black trans women’s murderers who were identified in 54% of cases, 75% were Black cisgender men, and 60.9% were the women’s romantic or sexual partners.
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