After Murder of South Bay Transgender Woman, a ‘Bit of Justice’ in Guilty Verdict

Updated 1:35 p.m. Oct. 24

A man convicted of fatally stabbing South Bay drag artist and transgender woman Natalia Smüt in 2021 could face up to 16 years in prison after a guilty verdict that prosecutors and community members hope will provide a sense of justice and closure.

Elijah Cruz Segura, 25, was found guilty of second-degree murder by a Santa Clara County jury on Wednesday, more than three years after police officers found Smüt bleeding to death inside a Milpitas home.

Segura’s conviction is believed to be the county’s first in a case of a domestic violence homicide involving a transgender victim, according to the district attorney’s office.

“Natalia was a shining light in her community. It was evident immediately after she was murdered how much of an effect this had on the transgender community and the LGBTQ community,” Deputy District Attorney Rebekah Wise said. “It was a senseless act of violence.”

On the morning of April 23, 2021, Milpitas police officers responded to an emergency call from Hillview Court, where Segura told officers on the phone that someone had been cut in the throat. They found Segura with blood on his hands and Smüt, who was Segura’s girlfriend at the time, on the ground with four stab wounds — one in the abdomen and three in the throat. She later died at a hospital, and Segura confessed to committing the crime and was arrested.

Investigators declared Smüt’s death a domestic violence killing.

Segura “would call Natalia derogatory names related to her being a transgender woman,” Wise said. “Him and Natalia were in a relationship, and there was prior abuse in that relationship. For us, that kind of highlighted the different ways in which transgender individuals are subjected to forms of abuse that other, cisgender people are not.”

According to Deputy Public Defender Daniel Portman, however, Segura was not motivated by anti-trans sentiment, a stipulation agreed upon by both prosecutors and defense attorneys prior to the trial.

Portman said Segura had always been open about his relationship with Smüt and her transgender identity.

“In this case, the People allege that Mr. Segura was in a dating relationship with the victim, Natalia Smüt, who was a transgendered female,” reads the statement given to the prospective jurors prior to jury selection. “This is not alleged to be a hate crime. There is no allegation that Ms. Smüt’s identity as a transgender woman was a motive for the crime.”

Beloved by San Jose’s LGBTQ+ community, 24-year-old Smüt was known for her “motivating and creative spirit, captivating performances and her love for advocacy within the community,” according to a statement by the nonprofit Project MORE.

A day after Smüt died, Sera Fernando, former chief diversity officer of Silicon Valley Pride, worked with community advocates to organize a vigil in her memory at San Jose City Hall. According to Fernando, it was Smüt’s artistry and unapologetic fearlessness that drew people in.

“She would step into a room like a firework. Everywhere she went, she brought energy, fierce looks, and a personality that shined bright like a diamond,” reads the caption for a GoFundMe page started by Smüt’s close friend Kiara Ohlde. “Her beautiful soul is no longer here on earth with us anymore, but she is forever in our hearts.”

According to a release by the Human Rights Campaign, Smüt was the 17th reported transgender or gender non-conforming person to suffer a violent death in 2021.

Transgender women of color, in particular, have been the victims of high rates of violence in the United States. Smüt was Black and Puerto Rican.

“Natalia is loved and cherished by this community. I’m not just saying the transgender community or the drag community. She was a cherished part of the entire South Bay community, especially the LGBTQ+ community,” Fernando said. “I hope this conviction brings just a little bit of justice as we continue to heal.”