Milwaukee transgender woman homicide, man headed to trial
Cordell Howze
MILWAUKEE - The man accused of killing a Milwaukee transgender woman in February is headed to trial, online court records show.
Cordell Howze, 34, is charged with first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firearm by a felon in the death of Cashay Henderson. Court records show Howze's plea of not guilty by reason of insanity was rejected, and he now has a jury trial scheduled for June 2024.
Firefighters found the 31-year-old Henderson inside her apartment near 29th and Villard with a gunshot wound while they were responding to a fire.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Prosecutors said surveillance cameras captured Howze in the area near Henderson's apartment at the time she was killed.
At the scene of the fire that morning, investigators found an unfired 9mm cartridge and items that indicated arson, such as a gas can. Henderson was unconscious and not breathing. Investigators noted there was a dead snake on scene. The fire was ruled arson.
Cashay Henderson
An autopsy revealed Henderson was shot twice. Her death was ruled a homicide.
The day after Henderson was found dead, a friend told investigators Howze showed up at his home with a firearm that had a laser beam. He said Howze pointed the weapon at his wife's head, describing Howze as "acting strange" with a "blank stare" on his face, the complaint said. He said Howze showed him a video that appeared to show a dead woman with blood on her head. Also in the video was an aquarium with a snake in it – consistent with the snake found dead in Henderson's apartment after the fire.
According to the criminal complaint, Howze told his friend, "I caught the body of a disgusting (expletive) tran." His friend knew this to mean Howze had killed a transgender person.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android
Afterward, Howze said he put his phone in airplane mode, so the police couldn't track it. He told his friend he wanted to kill "several other people." His friend told him to leave because "he was pointing the gun at people," the complaint said.
Howze's mother told investigators that after the murder, Howze gave her a Gucci purse and a Rolex watch – items that belonged to Henderson, according to prosecutors.
At Howze's grandmother's house, prosecutors said there were three pieces of mail belonging to Henderson "consistent with the evidence that Howze went to her house, killed her, attempted to burn the house and stole her purse, watch and mail."