Highland Park teen charged with first-degree murder in trans woman's death

A Highland Park teen has been charged in connection with the death of a transgender woman at a Highland Park hotel in 2023.

Carlos Lamar Scotland, 18, was arraigned Friday in Highland Park District Court on a charge of the first degree murder and felony firearm in connection with the fatal shooting of Ashia Davis, 36, also of Highland Park.

The shooting happened around 11 p.m. on June 1, 2023 at a hotel in the 16300 block of Woodward Avenue. When police arrived, they found Davis with a gunshot wound to her head.

A probable cause conference is scheduled for March 26.

More:Friends mourn transgender woman slain in Highland Park

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Davis described Davis as "beloved" in her community. Her nickname was "Charm." She'd recently finished nursing school and had planned to start a new job soon when she was killed.

Worthy also lamented how often the deaths of Black trans women go unnoticed, which is why a program called the Fair Michigan Justice Project was created along with the Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. The program assists Michigan law enforcement officers and prosecutors in solving serious crimes against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender persons.

Worthy recalled a string of murders involving Black trans women near Palmer Park in Detroit, before the Fair Michigan project was created, and "no one seemed to care at all."

"I mean no one," she said during a press conference Friday. "Nothing was really being done. Their lives seemed to matter to no one."

But now, officials say they're working to change that.

Davis's death in 2023 drew attention beyond Metro Detroit as LGBTQ+ residents marked Pride Month — she was murdered on the first day of Pridce Month — amid concerns from some activists about an increase in incidents targeting their community.

Scotland, who was 17 when the incident happened but has been charged as an adult, faces up to life in prison if convicted.