In the late hours of November 11, 2020, the life of Fendi Mon'ezah 'Peaches' Armstrong, a 39-year-old Black transgender woman, was tragically cut short in a motel room in Lithonia, Georgia. Armstrong was discovered by DeKalb County police at the Knights Inn on Panola Road, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Another individual in the room with her at the time of the shooting was unharmed and immediately called 911.
The investigation into Armstrong's death quickly centered on a dispute over money. Armstrong, who had recently inherited money after her father's passing, had been financially supporting a longtime friend, Terrel Battle, who was also a transgender woman and whom she considered a sister. The friendship soured after Armstrong, who had been paying for Battle's adjacent motel room, refused to give her an additional $20, leading to Battle's eviction.
Surveillance footage from the motel played a crucial role in identifying the suspects. The video captured Deontavious Brewer exiting a silver BMW, walking to Armstrong's room, and firing 11 rounds through the window before fleeing the scene. Terrel Battle was identified as the driver of the getaway car. Further evidence emerged when a relative of Battle's contacted detectives, reporting that Battle had made threats against Armstrong on Facebook and that both Battle and Brewer had confessed to the killing at the relative's home in North Carolina.
Following their arrest at an apartment in Atlanta, both Brewer and Battle provided confessions to the police. Brewer admitted to being the shooter, while Battle confessed to driving the vehicle. In October of the following year, Terrel Battle pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. She was sentenced to 25 years, with 20 to be served in prison. Deontavious Brewer was convicted by a DeKalb County jury in August 2023 on charges of felony murder, involuntary manslaughter, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and two counts of aggravated assault. He was subsequently sentenced for his role in the murder of Fendi Armstrong.
