Miami Beach police have detained a guy in connection with the beating death of a transgender woman whose body was discovered near the Miami City Ballet on Tuesday morning.
Gregory Fitzgerald Gibert, 53, has been charged with one count of second-degree murder in the death of Andrea Dorias Dos Passos, police announced Wednesday.
Dos Passos’ corpse was discovered near the Miami City Ballet at 22nd Street and Liberty Avenue after an employee “observed what he believed to be a person sleeping outside… near the main entrance,” according to Gibert’s arrest report.
When police and fire rescue got on the scene, they declared the person dead.
According to the report, the man suffered trauma and had blood on his face and head.
Detectives found video surveillance footage that showed the victim arriving at the scene around midnight.
According to the police complaint, many hours later, a male approached the victim while she was lying down asleep. In the footage, he is seen snatching a metal pipe from the ground and repeatedly pounding the victim in the head and face.
“The male is then seen standing over her, striking her and then manipulating her body… then walks away and places the pipe inside a nearby trashcan,” according to the complaint.
Police apprehended the culprit, known as Gibert.
According to the article, Gibert was arrested while wearing garments with what seemed to be bloodstains, as seen in the security film.
According to records, Gibert was released from prison on April 17 after serving more than a year in Miami-Dade custody, including psychiatric examinations. He received four years of felony probation after being charged with attempted armed robbery with a weapon and aggravated assault with a lethal weapon, according to court documents.
According to police, Gibert declined to help with investigators, therefore the motivation for the killing is unknown.
“No evidence suggests this was a hate crime. The evidence does not indicate that the defendant targeted the victim based on her sexual orientation or gender,” Miami Beach Police spokesman Christopher Bess said. “What we do know is that the offender was a very violent individual and should not have been on our streets.”
Gibert also declined to appear in bond court on Wednesday and remains in custody.
Dos Passos’ stepfather expressed grief at her death.
“I’m not sure if Andrea had a previous interaction with this person and it was a vengeance case, or if this was a completely random crime. “I know she had no chance because she was sleeping,” Victor Van Gilst stated. “I believe that the system let her down. At the moment, I also feel like I let her down.”
Due to the event, the Miami City Ballet & Museum closed for the remainder of the day on Tuesday.
“I used to take dance classes right here as a child. “I just feel like it’s becoming increasingly dangerous to be a woman,” local Daniela Tabbara stated.
“This is still an open investigation, and as the judicial process progresses, we are committed to working closely with the State Attorney’s Office,” police said in a statement Wednesday.