Thalía Rodríguez in her home. (Photo courtesy of Reportar sin Miedo)
Authorities in Honduras have arrested a suspected gang member in connection with the murder of a transgender activist.
Reportar sin Miedo, the Washington Blade’s media partner in Honduras, reported the Honduran National Police announced Jan. 30 agents with its Directorate of Investigations arrested a 28-year-old man for the Jan. 10 murder of Thalía Rodríguez in front of her home in Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital.
Rodríguez, 58, led Asociación Cozumel Trans, a Honduran trans rights group.
The Honduran National Police in their press release notes the man — known as “Karma” or “Fantasma” — is a member of MS-13.
Reportar sin Miedo reports a court last June issued a warrant for the man’s arrest on weapons charges.
Rodríguez’s murder, which took place 17 days before Vice President Kamala Harris and others attended Honduran President Xiomara Castro’s inauguration in Tegucigalpa, sparked outrage among activists in the Central American country. The U.S. Embassy in Honduras and U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power are among those who condemned Rodríguez’s death.
