A man has been convicted of the 2021 murder of a transgender Brookhaven resident, a crime which received little public attention until the LGBTQ and immigrant communities held a vigil in her honor.

Pedro Silva-Renteria, 21, has been convicted of fatally shooting Sophie Arrieta Vasquez, 36, at Atlantic Brookhaven Apartments in Brookhaven. The pair met online.

Five shell casings and three bullets from a .380 caliber handgun were recovered from the scene. Silva-Renteria fled to Texas, where he was arrested, and was charged with two counts of murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 8 at 9 a.m.

Brookhaven Police at the time of the murder said they did not believe Vasquez’s killing is related to being transgender. Vigil organizers spoke about the violence and discrimination faced by trans women, and particularly trans migrant women and trans women of color.

Community EsTr(El/La), which helped put on the vigil, is an organization that advocates for the rights of transgender and gender non-conforming immigrant communities in Georgia. Vasquez was a member of Community EsTr(El/La). 

“Sophie offered her help multiple times. She may not have been the most visible person in the community, she had her own life, but she was there and she showed up for her sisters,” reflected Li Ann “Estrella” Sánchez, executive director of Community EsTr(El/La). 

The latest information from the Human Rights Campaign states that in 2023, 33 trans and gender non-conforming people were killed.