In the early morning hours of April 11, 2023, the life of a 37-year-old Black transgender woman, Ashley Burton, was tragically cut short in a violent encounter at her Atlanta, Georgia, apartment complex. Friends and family remember Burton, a talented hairstylist and makeup artist who had moved to Atlanta to further her career, as a 'sweetheart' who was full of life, always ready with a smile and a laugh.
The incident, which police believe stemmed from a domestic dispute, began inside
Burton's apartment at the City Park Apartments on Fairburn Road SW. In a desperate attempt to save her own life, Burton fled from her assailant, running out into the breezeway of her building, screaming and banging on her neighbors' doors for help. Tragically, her pleas went unanswered, and she was shot and killed, her body later found in the second-floor breezeway.
In the wake of the shooting, Atlanta police began an investigation that would lead them to 31-year-old Darius Mills. Mills was already in custody on unrelated serious charges, including aggravated assault and armed robbery, when he was identified as the suspect in Burton's murder. Arrest warrants revealed that Mills is accused of shooting Burton in the face with a 9mm handgun before stealing two of her iPhones. He now faces multiple charges, including murder, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
