Union City Man Arrested In Stabbing Death Of San Jose Drag Artist

UNION CITY, CA — A 22-year-old Union City man has been arrested and charged with murder in the stabling death of a transgender woman who was a beloved artist in San Jose, the Santa Clara County District Attorney announced on Tuesday.

Elijah Cruz Segura was arrested in connection with the death of Xeonte Brown, also known as Natalia Smüt, on Friday the district attorney’s office announced. The two had been dating for several months, district attorney Jeff Rosen said in a news release.

Rosen said that Segura called 911 at 2:30 a.m. on Friday and first responders arrived at a home in the 1100 block of Hillview Court in Milpitas and found Brown with multiple stab wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene and Segura was arrested after police found him with blood on both of his hands. He was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday in San Jose. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

Project More, a LGBTQ support and advocacy organization, called Smut a beloved drag artist and entertainer in the South Bay. The organization said she is the 16th victim of anti-transgender violence this year in the United States.

With sadness and a heavy heart, we share the passing of Natalia Smüt, 24, an Afro-Rican transgender woman of San José who was known best for her motivating and creative spirit, captivating performances, and her love for advocacy within the community,” the organization wrote on its website.

On Saturday, more than 100 people showed up at a vigil for the Smut, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

“Our hearts are aching. We are still in shock and overwhelmed with painful feelings,” Smüt’s sister, Vanessa Singh, said in a statement released through the nonprofit Mothers Against Murder. “We feel a need to be present in court when the accused appears before the judge to face the charge of murdering my beautiful sister.”