MACON, Ga. — Investigators made an arrest in the shooting death of 23-year-old Destin Howard, according to a press release from the Bibb County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office says 26-year-old Jaleel Deshawn Parker of Macon was arrested and charged with murder Wednesday at around 12 p.m. in connection to Howard's case.
Parker is accused of murdering Howard on Dec. 9, 2022. According to the Human Rights Campaign, which is an LGBT advocacy organization, Howard was a transgender woman.
Howard was found shot to death in the Reaves Software parking lot on Thomaston Road, according to a previous press release from the sheriff's office.
According to an obituary, Howard was a 2019 graduate of Westside High School.
"Her greatest passion was fashion," her obituary said. "She loved to dress in the latest style."
According to the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, Parker was taken into custody at a business on Northside Drive at approximately 12 p.m. Wednesday, and he is being held without bond.
An arrest warrant for Parker said Howard's roommates heard her arguing on the phone with a man and then she left the apartment. Her roommates told investigators that Parker was paying money to Howard to keep their relationship a secret.
If you have any information related to this incident, you can call the Bibb County Sheriff's Office at 478-751-7500 or the Macon Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.
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