Naomi Hersi. Photo via Twitter and Facebook
A man has been arrested and charged with the murder of Naomi Hersi, a trans woman of color who was found stabbed in a hotel room in Hounslow, London.The London Evening Standard reports that the 36-year-old was discovered on the morning of 18 March with multiple stab wounds at Heathrow Palace, a hotel less than 10 minutes from Heathrow Airport.Hersi lived in Mill Hill, north London and described herself on social media as a sports lover who was addicted to chocolate and tennis.One of Hersi's neighbors told the Standard: "She was fun to be around and a real character. She was into music and tennis. She was a nice person."We are very shocked by the whole thing. She only used to go away for one night at the most. When she disappeared for more I knew something was wrong."I saw her Whatsapp went offline which was unusual, she was always on her phone.”Twitter users paid tribute to Hersi on social media, with some reacting in anger to earlier news reports that allegedly deadnamed and misgendered her. "Do you have to be so stupidly transphobic and misogynistic at the same time?" one user tweeted. "Her name is Naomi Hersi and she was a beautiful Somalian trans woman."Hersi's most recent tweet from May of 2015 was a link to an article titled "Trans Women of Color Face an Epidemic of Violence and Murder."Hounslow local Jesse McDonald, 24, was charged with Hersi's murder. A 17-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also charged with assisting the offender.Met Police said in a statement: "Both appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, 20 March. [McDonald] was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on 22 March. [The girl] was released on bail to next appear at the Old Bailey on 17 April."A post-mortem examination took place on Monday, 19 March and gave cause of death as stab wounds."Detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command [continue to] investigate."
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