Murder of Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells

Murder of Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells
The victim, Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells
LocationPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
DateJune 6, 2020 (2020-06-06)
Attack type
Murder by stabbing
Weapons
  • Knife
  • electric saw
VictimDominique "Rem'mie" Fells
PerpetratorAkhenaton Jones
VerdictGuilty
Convictions
  • First-degree murder
  • Possession of an instrument of crime
  • Abuse of a corpse

The upper body of Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells, a transgender rights activist and fashion designer, was found floating in the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, on June 8, 2020, and her legs were found three days later by dive teams. It was later determined through witness testimony that she had been killed on June 6, 2020. Investigations soon led to Akhenaton Jones, who, after a mistrial, was convicted of the murder on June 9, 2025. The murder led to protests across the country.

Background

Fells, born on July 30, 1992, was a transgender rights activist, fashion designer, artist,[1] and dancer.[2] She graduated from the Central York High School and studied at the William Penn Performing Arts Institute, both in York, Pennsylvania, before moving to Philadelphia.[1] She resided in the Morris Home for transgender people for a period.[3] In 2019, she organized a fashion show called Rock the Runway – A Trans Empowerment Fashion Show.[4]

Murder

On June 8, 2020, the 27-year-old Fells's body was found floating in the Schuylkill River near Bartram's Garden.[5] Her legs had been cut off; she had been beaten and stabbed over 40 times.[6] Three days later, her legs were found in trash bags by dive teams.[7]

Police suspicion soon revolved around a man named Akhenaton Jones, with whom Fells had formerly been romantically involved.[6] Jones and Fells, witnesses reported, had gone into Jones's bedroom on June 6, 2020. Those witnesses also reported that they had later found Fells' body in the bedroom, covered in blood. Police obtained a search warrant for Jones' residence and investigated, finding a bloody knife, a bloody electric saw, a bloody hazmat suit, and large amounts of blood spatter. Surveillance videos found Jones taking a trash can and trash bag filled with the remains into a white van, which he then drove to the Schuylkill River.[8]

Jones attempted to evade arrest by fleeing to California. He was apprehended in Los Angeles and extradited to Pennsylvania to stand trial.[9]

Conviction and aftermath

Jones was tried in December 2024, and claimed to have done the disposal but not the killing. That case ended in a mistrial, as the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the murder charge. However, they did convict for abuse of a corpse.[10] Jones was retried, and on June 9, 2025, he was convicted of first-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and abuse of a corpse.[11] As a mandatory consequence of his conviction, he will receive a life sentence without the possibility of parole.[12]

The Thomas Jefferson University created an endowed scholarship for transgender and non-binary students in honor of Fells;[13] occupational therapy students and a mentor had previously met her during their collaborations with staff at the Morris Home.[14] Politicians,[15] Philadelphia community leaders,[16] and celebrities, including Kerry Washington,[17] Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, and Kamala Harris, mourned her death and called for change.[15]

The death, along with the death of fellow Black transgender woman Riah Milton at the same time, sparked protests across the country where tens of thousands took to the streets, often in connection with the broader Black Lives Matter movement. These included Philadelphia,[18] where Fells and Breonna Taylor were honored in a march attended by over five hundred people,[19] Brooklyn, where thousands of protesters joined a Black Trans Lives Matter protest dressed in white for Fells and Milton,[20] and Hollywood, where an estimated twenty-five thousand led an "All Black Lives Matter" demonstration across the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[21] Large-scale protests also occurred in Chicago's Drag March for Change and at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City.[22]

References

  1. 1 2 Cwiek, Tim (December 4, 2024). "Murder trial begins for man who allegedly killed Rem'mie Fells". Philadelphia Gay News. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Fugitive arrested in grisly slaying of Philadelphia trans woman". NBC News. November 10, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Trans Woman Dominique Fells's Murder Shocks Philadelphia Community". Business Insider. Archived from the original on June 21, 2025. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Transgender Woman's Dismembered Remains Pulled From Philadelphia River". People. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Dominique Fells". Stanford Library Exhibits. Archived from the original on June 3, 2025. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Philadelphia man convicted in murder of trans woman". Metro Weekly. June 19, 2025. Archived from the original on May 17, 2026. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  7. ↑ Czech, Ted. "Suspect in murder of transgender York native 'Rem'mie' Fells arrested, police say". York Daily Record. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Philadelphia Jury Convicts Akhenaton Jones for Role in Murder of Dominique Rem'mie Fells". Office of the District Attorney : City of Philadelphia. Archived from the original on June 29, 2026. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Family of transgender woman killed in 2020 remembers daughter after murderer convicted: "Dominique's life mattered" - CBS Philadelphia". www.cbsnews.com. June 16, 2026. Archived from the original on June 29, 2026. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  10. ↑ Cwiek, Tim (December 13, 2024). "Hung jury in Rem'mie Fells case". Philadelphia Gay News. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  11. ↑ Cwiek, Tim (May 10, 2025). "Killer of Rem'mie Fells found guilty of first-degree murder". Philadelphia Gay News. Archived from the original on December 23, 2025. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  12. ↑ Stone, Sherry (June 17, 2025). "Jury convicts Philly man for role in murder of transgender woman". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  13. ↑ "The Dominique 'Rem'mie' Fells Scholarship". giving.jefferson.edu. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Looking back at transgender progress one year after the murder of Rem'mie Fells". Pennsylvania Capital-Star. June 5, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  15. 1 2 "Two Black Trans Women Were Killed In The Last Week". Time. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  16. ↑ "City's Office of LGBT Affairs Issues Statement on the Murder of Dominique Rem'mie Fells | Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion". City of Philadelphia. July 31, 2025. Archived from the original on April 22, 2026. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Arrest Made in Killing, Mutilation of Philadelphia Trans Woman". www.advocate.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2026. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  18. ↑ "'Say her name': Protesters seek justice for Black, trans community amid ongoing unrest". WHYY. Archived from the original on May 18, 2026. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  19. ↑ "'Say Her Name': Philly Protesters seek justice for Black, trans women". Pennsylvania Capital-Star. June 21, 2020. Archived from the original on May 15, 2025. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  20. ↑ Dickson, Ej (June 15, 2020). "Thousands Take to the Streets to Demand Justice for Murdered Trans Women". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  21. ↑ Gabbatt, Adam (June 15, 2020). "Tens of thousands across US march in support of black trans people". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  22. ↑ Kelly, Cara. "Two Black transgender women were killed last week, thousands showed up to protest". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
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