On an October evening in 2015, Zella Ziona, a 21-year-old transgender woman, was fatally shot in an alley behind a shopping center in Montgomery Village, Maryland. The brazen act, which authorities would later describe as an 'execution,' cut short a young life and began a years-long journey for justice. Ziona, who had been known as Deandre Smith before her transition, had a vibrant spirit and an infectious smile, according to her family.
On the day of her death, she had planned to lay flowers on her grandmother's grave.
The investigation quickly zeroed in on a suspect: Rico Hector LeBlond, a 20-year-old from Germantown who had known Ziona for years. LeBlond was arrested the day after the shooting at the Germantown Transit Center and charged with first-degree murder. Early in the investigation, it was suggested that LeBlond may have been motivated by embarrassment after Ziona flirted with him in front of his friends. However, prosecutors later stated they could not find evidence to substantiate this as a motive or to classify the murder as a hate crime. Instead, the motive appeared to stem from a physical altercation between LeBlond and Ziona the day before the shooting. Witnesses reported that LeBlond and several others were 'lying in wait' for Ziona in the alley. After initially shooting her, LeBlond allegedly stood over her and fired more rounds. Ziona's own mother tragically witnessed the fatal shooting of her child.
The path to holding LeBlond accountable was fraught with legal complexities. His first trial ended in a hung jury, unable to reach a unanimous verdict. A second trial in July 2017 resulted in a conviction for first-degree murder, and LeBlond was sentenced to life in prison. However, this conviction was later overturned by an appeals court, which found that the judge had made errors, including allowing certain hearsay testimony.
Faced with the prospect of a third trial and the continued emotional toll on Ziona's family, the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office pursued a plea deal. In August 2020, nearly five years after Ziona's death, Rico LeBlond pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. The following month, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison, the maximum allowed under the plea agreement. During the sentencing, the judge characterized the shooting as 'nothing short of an ambush.'
