Monika Diamond, a 34-year-old Black transgender woman, was a beloved business owner and prominent figure in the Charlotte, North Carolina, LGBTQ and nightlife community. She was the founder and co-owner of Ncphyne Promotion Company LLC, an event marketing company, and the co-CEO of the International Mother of the Year Pageantry System, a pageant that honors LGBTQ mothers.
Described as a loving friend and a chosen mother to countless people, she spent her adult life creating safe spaces for her community to gather and celebrate their lives.
In the early morning of March 18, 2020, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police and paramedics responded to a disturbance call in the parking lot of a Days Inn on E. Woodlawn Road. They found a group of people, including Diamond, who was experiencing shortness of breath. Paramedics placed her in an ambulance to begin treatment.
While medics were attending to Diamond, a man identified as Prentice Bess, then 32, tried to enter the ambulance but was turned away by paramedics due to protocol. Bess left for a short time, but then he returned with a gun and shot Diamond several times as she was being treated inside the vehicle. Paramedics tried to revive her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police arrested Bess at the scene and charged him with murder. He was interviewed by homicide detectives before being transferred to the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.
The case against Bess is awaiting trial. In April 2021, he appeared in court where his defense attorney requested that the judge order a psychiatric evaluation. As of that court appearance, Bess remained in custody.
