Prosecutors announced the sentencing of a Milpitas man found guilty of the domestic violence murder of his transgender spouse in 2021.
At a hearing on Monday, a judge sentenced 26-year-old Elijah Cruz Segura to 15 years to life in prison, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said Tuesday. In October, Segura was found guilty of murder in connection with Natalia Smut’s stabbing death.
“We must never forget the abuse and death of a weak member of our community. “That cannot be erased by a sentence, no matter how long or short,” Rosen stated in a statement.
The case, according to the district attorney, was the first transgender domestic violence homicide prosecution in the county.
In the early hours of April 13, 2021, Milpitas Police were called to a residence on Hillview Court, according to the prosecution. Officers discovered Segura and the victim, who had been stabbed several times, when they arrived.
Prosecutors claimed that Segura and Smut had been dating for a number of months.
Smut was a well-known drag performer, and her murder shocked her friends and family as well as the LGBTQ+ community in the Bay Area.
“It is painful. I’m furious. I am dissatisfied. It motivates me to put in more effort. However, after Natalia’s passing, trans activist Sera Fernando told CBS News Bay Area, “There’s always this sense of trauma.”
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