Police Arrest Suspect in Murder of Trey Peters

DeKalb County police have arrested a suspect in last month’s murder of gay man Trey Peters and have issued warrants for a second suspect.

Joshua Cortez Ellis, 21, was arrested last month on unrelated charges of armed robbery and aggravated assault charges, but now faces a murder charge, Sgt. J.D. Spencer told the AJC. Police also have a murder warrant for Shaleeya Moore, a second suspect, but she is not yet in custody. There is also another person of interest who police have yet to identify.

Unidentified person of interest / Courtesy of the DeKalb County Police Department

Police have identified the crime as hate-motivated, as witnesses claim that the gunman called Peters a homophobic slur before shooting him in the chest and neck and taking his belongings.

However, Georgia is one of only four states that do not have a law against hate crimes – meaning the penalty for the crime will not be worsened because Peters was targeted because he was gay.

If you have any information regarding the identity of the third suspect or the whereabouts of Moore, you can call the DeKalb County Police Department at 770-724-7850.