Man charged with murder over death of transgender woman Persia Amarra Conway in Houston
FB: Michelle P Simmons, Houston Police
A man has been charged with murder over the death of a transgender woman whose body was found in Houston last month.
Daniel Arnulfo Ceron, 22, was arrested on Wednesday (10 June) and charged in connection with the death of 33-year-old Persia Amarra Conway, according to the Houston Police Department. Police say he later confessed to his involvement.
Conway’s body was discovered on the morning of 25 May in a stormwater catch basin near Brays Bayou, after a person walking along the trail came across it. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and an autopsy found she had suffered multiple blunt force trauma. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences classified her death as a homicide.
According to court documents, Ceron allegedly beat Conway to death with his hands. Video reportedly captured him disposing of items later identified as a mobile phone, a pair of slippers and pieces of acrylic nails, before walking away from the scene. Records state that a woman contacted authorities to say Ceron had confessed to the killing.
Police have not released a motive, and have not said how Ceron and Conway knew each other. Prosecutors have filed a motion to set his bond at $500,000.
Conway’s mother, Michelle Simmons, told ABC13 from her home in Georgia that she had passed information to police after members of the community sent her photos and a video of a man resembling the suspect. “One particular individual sent me two photos of this young man and a video, and in the video, he was literally saying and confessing to the murder two days before,” she said.
Conway was remembered at a vigil held by family members, advocates and members of Houston’s LGBTQ+ community earlier this month. Loved ones said they were determined that she be remembered for who she was, rather than the circumstances of her death.
