Detroit pastor accused of murdering transgender woman

Detroit pastor Albert Weathers, 46, faces a murder charge in connection to the death of a transgender woman.

Albert Weathers, 46, of Sterling Heights, was charged with murder in the death of Kelly Stough, 36, who was found dead on a Detroit street Friday.

Evidence that Stough's transgender status had a role will be presented in court according to prosecutors. https://t.co/fGY9WeY8fT
— Blotter Report (@Blotter_Report) December 12, 2018

Following a police investigation, Weathers was charged with open murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The victim, Kelly Stough, 36, was found dead on a Detroit street.

What happened?

Weathers allegedly fled the scene after shooting Stough and then reported it to police. Weathers clocked in for his job at the Great Lakes Water Authority, and then called police an hour after the shooting to report that “someone tried to rob him and that he shot someone," WXYZ reported. The motive was not known.

Weathers, who served as pastor of the Logos Church, was fired from his position at the Great Lakes Water Authority shortly after he was charged, according to reports. He reportedly rented space at a local church for his small congregation.

"Albert Weathers is no longer employed at GLWA. Mr. Weathers was off-duty at the time of the alleged incident," a Great Lakes Water Authority spokesperson told ABC News. "His conduct was unrelated to his employment with GLWA."

Special prosecutor Jaimie Powell Horowitz of the Fair Michigan Justice Project is assisting in the investigation. The FMJP is a collaboration between the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office and Fair Michigan Foundation that focuses on serious crimes against those in the LGBTQ community.

"This case reflects the excessive brutality that members of Detroit's transgender community constantly face," Fair Michigan President Dana Nessel said in a statement. "We thank the Detroit Police Department for their efforts to investigate the facts of this tragic crime."

David Cripps, defense attorney for Albert Weathers, said his client is innocent and they plan to launch a defense against the charges.

Who was she?

Stough aspired to be a designer and buyer in the world of fashion. Friends and family remembered her as a loving, big-spirited and courageous woman who was well known in the Detroit's ballroom scene.

"She was loved," said her mother, Jessica Williams-Stough. "She had a lot of people who loved her. She just wasn't nobody."

Weathers is scheduled to appear in court next week. His bail was set at $1 million but his attorney is working to get that amount lowered, according to reports.