A Milpitas man was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for fatally stabbing his transgender partner in 2021, according to a press release from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
Elijah Cruz Segura, 26, was convicted of second degree murder late last year for killing 24-year-old Natalia Smüt at a Milpitas home in April 2021.
Smüt was a Afro-Rican drag queen from San Jose who was widely beloved in the LGBTQ community. Mourners at a vigil in 2021 said she was “captivating” and a “really bright star.”
Segura was sentenced by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Hanley Chew. This is believed to be the first prosecution in the domestic-violence killing of a transgender domestic violence homicide in Santa Clara County, according to the DA’s office.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement that he hoped Segura’s long sentence would help bring peace to those who knew Smüt.
“We should never forget that a vulnerable member of our community was abused and killed,” Rosen said in the statement. “A sentence, long or short, does not erase that. I urge anyone in an abusive relationship to seek help. You will find resources and respect in our county.”
Smüt was the 16th person who died in the United States in 2021 as a result of violence against transgender or gender nonconforming people, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
Public defenders said during the trial that there was no evidence that the murder was fueled by Smüt’s transgender identity but that it was a domestic violence incident. Cruz and Smüt had been in a committed, live-in relationship, and the court disallowed a hate motive from being considered from the time of jury selection onward.
In the early morning hours of April 23, 2021, Segura called 911 and said that someone had been cut on the throat. When police arrived, Segura, covered in blood, led them to a second-floor unit where they found Smüt gravely injured. Smüt later died of her injuries at a local hospital.
During the trial, the jury approved a sentencing enhancement for Segura’s use of a knife.