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Man linked to killing of transgender women charged in 3rd homicide

Joel Isaiah Brewer was in jail in connection with the killing of two Black transgender women in April. He's now accused of killing a third person in Union County.

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A man charged with murder in connection with the killings of two transgender women in Charlotte earlier this year is now facing charges for a deadly shooting in Union County, deputies said. 

According to the Union County Sheriff's Office, Joel Isaiah Brewer, 34, is charged with first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a felon and concealment of death by disposing of a human body in connection with the killing of Joshua Tramaine Allen.

Brewer was already in the Mecklenburg County Jail on multiple charges stemming from the killings of Jaida Peterson and Remy Fennell. Those charges include two counts of murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and robbery with a dangerous weapon. Peterson was found dead in a west Charlotte hotel in early April. Less than two weeks later, Fennell was found dead at the Sleep Inn on North Tryon Street in University City.

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Deputies said Allen was last seen alive in Marshville, North Carolina, on Jan. 23. A missing person report was filed with the Union County Sheriff's Office on Jan. 25. His body was found in a wooded area near Wingate on Feb. 9c. The Medical Examiner determined Allen died from multiple gunshots. 

RELATED: 'This city is not safe for trans folks' | LGTBQ community seeking action after murder of two Black transgender women

Investigators were able to link Allen and Brewer together on the night of his disappearance and there's no evidence he was alive after an encounter with Brewer, according to deputies. 

Brewer has a previous conviction for his role in a 2011 robbery that led to the death of an accomplice. Police said Brewer and three other suspects planned to rob a suspected drug dealer when one of his accomplices was shot by a man during the attack. The accomplice's body was dumped on the shoulder of a Monroe road after the shooting. 

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