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Boyfriend Charged With Murder in Killing of Transgender Woman Eryka Caldwell in Brooklyn

Prosecutors cite a self-defense claim ahead of a May 22 court date.

Overview

  • Police say officers forced entry through a window after a 911 text and screams and found Eryka Caldwell gravely wounded in her Bushwick apartment, and she later died at Brookdale Hospital.
  • Officers arrested her boyfriend, Jonathan Fernandez, at the scene and charged him with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
  • A judge ordered Fernandez held without bail at Rikers Island, and court records list May 22 as the next hearing.
  • Brooklyn prosecutors say Fernandez claimed he acted in self-defense, and his attorney requested a psychiatric evaluation in court.
  • Relatives and law enforcement sources describe prior domestic incidents, including an alleged 2024 assault and recent moves to domestic violence shelters before Caldwell relocated to the Bushwick unit in March.