Minneapolis man sentenced to 30 years for murder of trans woman

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis man convicted in last fall's murder of a trans woman was sentenced to over 30 years in prison on Wednesday.

Damarean Bible was found guilty of intentional second-degree murder in August. The sentence he received— 367 months — is the maximum sentence he could have received on the charge, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said.

Savannah Williams was found with a gunshot wound to the head in a south Minneapolis courtyard last November. Though Bible initially denied involvement in her death, he eventually confessed to fatally shooting her, documents say.

He said he passed by her at a Lake Street bus stop and she offered him sex. The complaint says they walked to the courtyard and then when they were finished, Bible shot the victim at close range because she "made him feel suspicious."

"While nothing can change the fact that Savannah's family will have to live with the pain of her loss for the rest of their lives, we asked for an extensive sentence to ensure that Mr. Bible will not be able to harm anyone else," Moriarty said.

The Queer Legislative Caucus spoke out against Williams' killing at the time, calling it a "senseless murder" that "not only extinguishes a vibrant life but serves as a stark reminder of the dangers and discrimination faced by sex workers and transgender individuals, particularly BIPOC transgender women, and femmes."

Moriarty's office said in December that "if the investigation reveals sufficient evidence to prove bias motivation beyond a reasonable doubt, we would prosecute accordingly."

However Bible faced no bias crime charges because, Moriarty said, her office didn't have enough evidence to prove his motivation for the murder.

"But the fact that we could not charge this as a bias crime does not change the impact that this crime has had on making our trans community feel less safe," she said.

"Whether or not this is a crime that was bias-motivated, what we know is true is that our trans people of color in the state of Minnesota, in the city of Minneapolis, around the country are pushed to the edges of our society," said state Rep. Leigh Finke. "And when we do not take care of the people who are under our care, tragic outcomes occur."

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, hate crimes based on gender identity increased in Minnesota every year from 2020-2022. In 2022, the most recent year with data available, there were nine such crimes. They accounted for 4.9% of all hate crimes in Minnesota that year, higher than both gender- and disability-based hate crimes. These numbers do not include incidents that do not involve violence, threats or property damage.

--

If you or someone you know in the LGBTQ+ community needs support, there are numerous resources and services available through Outfront Minnesota , NAMI and Twin Cities Pride .