PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office announced it is refiling first-degree murder charges in the death of Tracy “Mia” Green, a Black transgender woman who was shot and killed in West Philadelphia last year.
The charges have been refiled against 39-year-old Abdullah El-Amin.
Police stopped El-Amin in his car on North 41st Street on Sept. 28, 2020. They say they found 29-year-old Green in the passenger seat of his car, shot multiple times. She later died.
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El-Amin’s lawyer said his client shot Green in self-defense. Last week, a municipal court judge downgraded the first-degree murder charge to third-degree.
“Whenever a case like this goes in front of the court, gender identity is weaponized against the victim,” said Deja Lynn Alvarez, a Philadelphia transgender rights advocate.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, at least 37 transgender and gender non-conforming people were killed in the U.S. last year. Three of those killings, including Green’s death, were in Philadelphia.
The District Attorney’s Office said facts of the case support first-degree murder charges.
“It’s about time that our lives are being seen with some value,” Alvarez added.
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El-Amin faces additional charges, including evidence tampering and obstruction of justice for allegedly changing his story to investigators. There’s no word yet from his attorney in response to the refiling.
El-Amin’s next hearing is in May.