Accused Killer's Arrest Relief To Pinellas Transgender Community

Correction: While some news stories referred to Keri Washington as a man, the Clearwater police never specified her gender.

CLEARWATER, FL — The Pinellas LGBTQ community is breathing a sigh of relief after Clearwater Police homicide detectives announced the arrest of a man accused in the May 1 slaying of a transgender woman.

Arthur Benjamin Jr., also known as Hadeeka Shabazz, 49, was taken into custody Tuesday morning in unincorporated Pinellas County with the assistance of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

He was interviewed by detectives at Clearwater Police Department headquarters where he confessed to killing Keri Washington, 48, who died of blunt-force trauma to the upper body at the Palmetto Park Apartments. The two had been in a domestic relationship for several years.

Clearwater police were called shortly after 8 a.m. May 1 when Washington's body was found behind Building 7 at the Palmetto Park Apartments, 1001 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.

Benjamin, who has an extensive criminal history, was quickly identified as the possible killer. However, detectives were unable to locate him. After issuing a warrant for his arrest on charges of first-degree murder, they circulated a photo and description of him, asking for the public's help to find him.

Their efforts paid off when tips came in pinpointing Benjamin's whereabouts.

Beginning in June 2009, Benjamin has been arrested five times in Pinellas County where he lived in several locations in Clearwater and Dunedin. Most of the charges were for violating the terms of his probation and failing to register as a sex offender, but he was also accused of forging checks and aggravated battery in 2012.

Prior to 2009, he served time in state prison after being convicted on charges that included sexual assault.

Word of Benjamin's arrest came as a relief to members of the LGBTQ advocacy group, Human Rights Campaign. But the campaign said her death continues to highlight the victimization of transgender women.

"Keri’s death is at least the 20th violent death of a transgender or gender non-conforming person in 2021," said Tori Cooper, Human Rights Campaign director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative. "We say 'at least' because, too often, these deaths go unreported — or misreported. Keri’s death marks the second known killing of a Black transgender woman in Florida this year, following Alexus Braxton in Miami on Feb. 4."

As in this case, said Cooper, Washington was described as a man in media reports. Not only is that description an affront to Washington's sexual identity, but it propagates prejudice against transgender people, Cooper said.

“Our community is yet again in mourning as a result of senseless acts of violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people, Cooper said. "Keri was at least the fourth transgender woman killed in less than 10 days, each of them Black or brown. We urge everyone to end the stigma against transgender people, and to destroy the roots of transphobia and racism that fuel this violence.”

HRC recorded 44 deaths of transgender and gender non-conforming people in 2020, more than in any year since it began tracking this violence in 2013.

Cooper noted that, although the Florida Commission on Human Relations recently announced its intention to implement the Bostock v. Clayton County decision to extend nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQ residents seeking employment and housing, the Florida Legislature negated the progress of that decision by forwarding bills that discriminate against transgender residents.

Just days before Washington was killed, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he intends to sign a bill banning transgender females from women's and girls' scholastic sports.

“We’re going to protect our girls,” DeSantis said, announcing his plans to turn the bill into law. “I have a 4-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old daughter. They’re both very athletic. We want to have opportunities for our girls. They deserve an even playing field, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Equal rights advocates say the bill marginalizes transgender girls who already feel isolated because they can't identify with or relate to the sex they were born to.

“(The bill is) yet another political tactic that highlights an ongoing lack of compassion and a willful ignorance of who transgender youth are and how this will cause harm,” said Nathan Bruemmer, a transgender community activist from St. Petersburg, in a statement.

"We are also currently facing anti-LGBTQ attacks at many levels of government," Cooper said. "There are more than 260 anti-LGBTQ bills under consideration in state legislatures across the country, more than 120 of which directly target transgender people."

The result, Cooper said, is continued "racism, transphobia, sexism, biphobia and homophobia" that results in stigmatizing and even violence against transgender and non-binary people.

"It is clear that fatal violence disproportionately affects transgender women of color, especially Black transgender women," Cooper said.

To fight the trend, Cooper said HRC has collaborated with WarnerMedia on an "uplifting" public service campaign that tells the stories of transgender residents.

Meanwhile, the friends and family of Keri Washington, who went by the nickname Bobo, continue to mourn and miss her.

"We are deeply saddened by this news, which comes so close to home," Metro Inclusive Health wrote on its Facebook page. "Our hearts are with the trans community, and our support groups are here for you if you need a space to mourn. We also ask our readers to take a moment with us to honor Keri's memory. Keri Washington, who went by the nickname Bobo, was described as "spirited" and "the real deal slay queen" by her friends in mourning. She will be missed."

Clearwater City Council member Kathleen Beckman condemned the violence.

"The murder of Keri Washington is shocking and horrific," Beckman said. "We must stand together against senseless acts of violence. Ignorance of a person’s humanity breeds hate."