Trial underway for man accused of killing transgender woman in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (CBS58) -- On Tuesday, Cordell Howze walked into the courtroom for the second day of trial. He is accused of killing Cashay Henderson, a Black transgender woman, on Feb. 26, 2023.

Howze sat quietly and took notes while the prosecutor called witnesses to the stand.

"I was in my sleep and then I woke up and heard a really loud gunshot," said witness Garjeer Vang.

Vang was sleeping over at a friend's apartment next door the morning Cashay was killed.

"That was the window I saw was on fire; I called the police," Vang explained.

Chief Battalion Jeffrey Collum and his crew responded to the apartment building at 29th and Villard where they found Cashay Henderson's body in her burned-out apartment.

"As soon as we got up there, we opened the windows - the smoke was just staying in there. We pressurized the apartment and that blew the smoke out. And then they did a primary search as well, and they found the victim," said Chief Collum.

The prosecutor said Henderson was shot twice in the head.

Milwaukee Police Detective Amy Stokowski is certified in fire investigation. She was brought in to determine what caused the fire.

"We noticed there was... irregular shaped burn marks that was in the carpeting fibers and it trailed towards the door of the apartment to exit in the hallway," Stokowski explained.

Police said Cordell Howze was caught on surveillance video near the apartment. He allegedly told a friend he killed a transgender person.

Howze entered a plea of not guilty by mental disease or defect, but it was denied.

Henderson's mother has been in the gallery the past two days watching the trial.

The trial is expected to continue throughout the week.