Pedro Silva-Renteria
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A DeKalb County jury on Thursday convicted 21-year-old Pedro Silva-Renteria in the shooting death of 36-year-old Sophie Vasquez, a transgender woman, in her apartment.
Silva-Renteria was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony for the killing of Vasquez, whose legal name was Juan Vasquez.
According to prosecutors, Brookhaven police officers responded to Vasquez’s apartment on Windmont Drive shortly after 8 a.m. on May 4, 2021, and found her lying face down near the front door. She had been shot multiple times in the head and face. A neighbor reported hearing gunshots around 3:45 a.m., and doorbell camera footage showed a man arriving at Vasquez’s apartment at 2:50 a.m. and leaving 30 minutes later. He returned to the apartment 55 minutes later, the time of the shooting.
The investigation revealed that Silva-Renteria and Vasquez had communicated through social media for months before the shooting. Vasquez had stopped responding to his messages, although on the night of May 3, 2021, she sent him her address at his request. Surveillance footage and phone records placed Silva-Renteria at the scene around the time of the murder.
Sophie Vasquez
A search of Silva-Renteria's parents' home uncovered clothing matching the outfit worn by the man seen on surveillance video, as well as the murder weapon. Silva-Renteria fled to Texas, where he was arrested on Aug. 5, 2021.
During the trial, Silva-Renteria's defense argued that he shot Vasquez out of fear upon learning she was a transgender woman. However, social media records showed that Vasquez had disclosed her transgender identity to him multiple times, and she was proud of it.
Silva-Renteria is scheduled to be sentenced at 9 a.m. on Nov. 8.