In a basement apartment on Shaftesbury Street in Kensington, Maryland, the life of 33-year-old Silvia Elenia Fernandez came to a tragic end on the night of Tuesday, June 18, 2019. Responding to a report of a shooting at approximately 9:59 p.m., Montgomery County police officers arrived to find Ms. Fernandez deceased from a fatal gunshot wound.
Living with her in the apartment was her 48-year-old boyfriend, Alejandro Jose Perez de Leon.
The investigation revealed that the couple had been engaged in a domestic argument that evening, which escalated to the point where Perez de Leon shot and killed Fernandez. He was taken into custody at the scene, and a handgun was recovered nearby.
Following the incident, Alejandro Jose Perez de Leon was charged with first-degree murder and held without bond. During his trial, prosecutors argued that the relationship had been deteriorating and that Fernandez had expressed her unhappiness. The defense acknowledged that Perez de Leon killed Fernandez but contended that the act was a result of anger and not premeditated.
