In the late hours of a Friday night in September 2014, the life of Alejandra Leos, a 41-year-old transgender woman, was tragically cut short in her North Memphis neighborhood. Just steps from the safety of her own home, Leos was fatally shot in the back following an argument. The incident shattered the peace of the community and left her friends and family in a state of profound shock and grief.
Her mother, Irma Caballerro, expressed that her daughter was an exceptionally generous person, known for her willingness to help others in need, even offering a place to sleep to those who had nowhere else to go. Friends fondly remembered her by a saying she often repeated: 'if you don't know Alejandra then you don't know Memphis.'
In the days following the shooting, a suspect was identified and taken into custody. Marshall Pegues, 21 years old at the time, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with Leos's death. While initial reports from authorities identified Leos as a man, her family quickly clarified that she identified as a woman, and friends and supporters began to use the hashtag #RememberAlejandra to honor her memory. The relationship between Pegues and Leos was not immediately made clear by investigators.
The community rallied together in the wake of the tragedy, creating a memorial of candles and flowers at the spot where Leos was killed. To help with the unexpected financial burden of her funeral, friends and family established a fundraising page. The case brought attention to the violence faced by transgender individuals and was noted by advocacy groups. While authorities did not immediately classify the murder as a hate crime, some observers suggested that the circumstances pointed towards an act of domestic violence.
