A 24-year-old man has been arrested in the 2013 beating of a transgender woman who was attacked by a group of men in Harlem and died several days later.
James Dixon, of Brooklyn, faces manslaughter and felony assault charges in the Aug. 17, 2013 attack on 21-year-old Islan Nettles, who died of blunt impact injuries to the head five days later.
Nettles, who also went by Vaughn Nettles and Alon Nettles, was out that night with a friend, another transgender woman, when they met a group of men near 148th Street and Eighth Avenue, according to police.
The two groups began arguing, apparently after the men realized the victims were transgender, police said. One man made anti-gay remarks and a physical altercation ensued.
The victim was punched in the face and lapsed into a coma, police said. She spent several days on a ventilator before she died.
Hundreds rallied to denounce hate crimes against the gay and transgender communities after her death.
Nettles' mother, Delores Nettles, thanked supporters out one of the Harlem rallies and said, "I'm going to make sure this doesn't happen again."
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It wasn't immediately clear if Dixon had an attorney.
