Slain transgender woman’s car being processed for evidence
Fontana detectives are expected to search for evidence Thursday inside the car of a transgender woman who was killed inside her Fontana apartment earlier this week.
The black Mercedes belonging to Domonique Newburn, 31, was found Wednesday afternoon about 13 miles and two cities away at Perris Hill Park in San Bernardino. Police said initially that the man suspected of killing Newburn escaped in her car afterward. Police officials said Thursday it appeared Newburn’s car had been at the park “for some time.”
Witnesses told police that Newburn’s suspected killer made off with clothes and her computer.
Authorities described him as in his late 20s or early 30s, 5-feet-8 with an average build and wearing blue jeans.
Newburn had her name changed from Daymond Watford in June 2010, according to San Bernardino County records. A month later, she appeared under her stage name “Domonique Duffy” in the premiere episode of “Hollywood Houseboys,” a reality show focusing on a group of young, black gay men trying to make it big in Los Angeles.
The show’s producer, Ryan Hope, released a statement on Newburn’s death.
“We are all deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic loss of our sister, Domonique Newburn. Domonique was an amazing person whose spirit transcended gender. When we set out to document or lives for reality television, we never once wished to make headlines like this. Our thoughts, prayers and condolences are with her family.”
Detectives told KABC-TV that Newburn’s front door had been boarded up, and blood stains and a hole in the wall next to the front door indicated there was a struggle.
Newburn’s body was found near the window, which indicates that she may have tried to flee her attacker, police said Wednesday. KTLA-TV Channel 5 reported residents heard shouting before police arrived.
Newburn had sustained trauma, the coroner said.
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