A man from Pennsylvania has been charged with murder for allegedly killing and dismembering a transgender teenager he met through a dating app, as reported by the NY Post. The accused, 29-year-old DaShawn Watkins, is currently in custody without bail.
The victim, Pauly Likens, was reported missing by relatives after being last seen on June 22. Human remains were later discovered in and around Shenango River Lake. More remains were found in the area over the next week, reports reveal.
The coroner’s office determined that Pauly, who is a 14-year-old transgender girl, died from
“sharp force trauma to the head before being dismembered.”
Watkins has been charged with murder, aggravated assault, evidence tampering, and abuse of a corpse. The authorities are also considering hate crime charges.
Watkins informed the police that he had set up a meeting with an individual he had been communicating with on the dating app Grindr.
Surveillance footage, social media records, and cellphone records confirmed. The evening of June 22, Pauly was on the phone and waiting to meet someone near the canoe launch area of the lake.
The authorities also discovered footage showing Watkins making multiple trips from his apartment in the early morning of June 23, carrying bags and driving a vehicle that was seen near the lake.
Pauly’s family described the teenager as a playful individual with aspirations of becoming a park ranger.
“I just want to say what a beautiful, loving person she was and that the hate has got to stop!!”
Pauly’s mother, Jen McClure, told Pennlive.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
