Man Sentenced for Killing Transgender Woman

Man sentenced to 30 years for killing transgender woman


ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) – A District of Columbia man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing a transgender woman in Montgomery County last April.

Judge Marielsa Bernard imposed the maximum sentence for second-degree murder on Keith C. Renier.

Renier fatally stabbed Keyonna Blakeney. She was found dead of multiple stab wounds in a motel last year on April 16, 2016.

Court documents show Renier arrived at the hotel along with a second suspect via an Uber car arranged and paid for by Blakeney.

A confidential informant told detectives the second suspect had arranged to meet Blakeney under the false pretense of a date and instead intended to rob her with Renier’s help.