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Milpitas man sentenced to 15-years-to-life in 2021 murder of trans partner

PIX Now afternoon edition 1-28-2025
PIX Now afternoon edition 1-28-2025 08:20

A Milpitas man convicted in the 2021 domestic violence murder of his transgender partner has been sentenced, prosecutors said.

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen announced Tuesday that a judge sentenced 26-year-old Elijah Cruz Segura to 15-years-to-life in prison at a hearing on Monday. Segura was convicted in October of murder in the stabbing death of Natalia Smut.

"We should never forget that a vulnerable member of our community was abused and killed. A sentence, long or short, does not erase that," Rosen said in a statement.

The district attorney said the case was the county's first prosecution of a transgender domestic violence homicide.

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According to prosecutors, Milpitas Police were called to a residence on Hillview Court in the early morning hours of April 13, 2021. When officers arrived, they found Segura and the victim, who was stabbed multiple times.

Segura and Smut were dating for several months, prosecutors said.

Smut was a celebrated drag queen and her killing sent shockwaves through the Bay Area LGBTQ+ community, along with her friends and family.

"It hurts. I'm outraged. I'm disappointed. It makes me want to work harder. But there's always this sense of trauma," Sera Fernando, a trans activist, told CBS News Bay Area following Natalia's death.

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