Man Arrested for Murder of Tenn. Trans Woman

A man suspected of murdering a transgender woman from Tennessee was arrested Sunday, CBS-affiliated station in Memphis, Tenn., WREG reports.

Marshall Pegues, 21, was arrested Sunday and charged with first-degree murder for killing Alejandra Leos, 41, on Friday night just steps away from their home in Memphis. Police told the station that Leos had an argument with the suspect at their home before Pegues allegedly shot her in the back. It is unclear of the relationship between Pegues and Leos.

Authorities and initial reports identified Leos as a man, but family members of the victim clarified that Leos identified as a woman.

"Alejandro [sic] would say, 'if you don't know Alejandra then you don't know Memphis,'" a friend of Leos told reporters, according to the Huffington Post.

Friends, family and supporters have left candles and flowers to mark the spot where Leos was killed. Friends and family have also set up a fundraising page to help with the funeral costs and urge people to make donations to the Gun Violence Survivors Foundation's Funeral Fund: #RememberAlejandra.

Irma Caballerro, Leos' mother, told WREG that she was shocked. A family friend translated from Spanish and told the station Caballerro "doesn't have any words right now." She went on to say that her daughter was an extremely generous person.

"It was to the point where if you didn't have no place to sleep [Alejandra] would help you," Smith said for Caballero.

Police have yet to state whether or not the case is being investigated as a hate crime. The Advocate notes that Pegues' arrest "appears to indicate that Leos was killed in an act of domestic violence."