Police have identified a suspect in the beating death of a transgender woman who was the star of an online reality series.
KNBC reported on Thursday night that Fontana police are looking for 18-year-old Dantjier Powell, of San Bernardino, in the death of Domonique Newburn. The 32-year-old, who was one of the stars of Hollywood Houseboys, was found dead in her Fontana apartment on Tuesday afternoon.
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Police said he could be trying to leave California, possibly by bus. He is said to be African-American, 5-foot-8 inches tall and 155 pounds.
Fontana Police detective Rich Hunt previously told KNBC that investigators “found evidence of a struggle, inside and outside.” The coroner said Newburn suffered “blunt trauma.”
Hollywood Houseboys, which can be found on YouTube, is described as “a docu-reality series that opens the doors behind the daily lives of four gay friends, their relationships and how they form their own limelight into Hollywood.”
The series had been on hiatus since the first four episodes were filmed in 2010, but an unidentified executive producer told KNBC that Newburn had just completed a shoot for the show’s relaunch.
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Creator Ryan Hope also issued a statement earlier this week.
“We are all deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic loss of our sister, Domonique Newburn,” he said. “Domonique was an amazing person whose spirit transcended gender. When we set out to document or lives for reality television, we never once wished to make headlines like this. Our thoughts, prayers and condolences are with her family.”
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