DNA to play crucial role in trial of man accused of killing transgender woman in Aliquippa

BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. — Nearly three years after a transgender woman was killed in Beaver County, the accused killer is on trial.

Darnese Raines dressed ready for court was the picture of attention on the first day of trial as he faces homicide charges.

“The motive is not completely clear, it looks like from the outside looking in it may have been a jealously thing,” said Beaver County DA Nate Bible.

Raines is charged with killing Brandon Murray in his Aliquippa apartment in November 2021. Murray identified as female and was known to friends as “B.” Testimony on Tuesday showed B was shot four separate times in the face and neck.

Now the prosecution spent the first day building up the sexual element of this crime based on how B’s body was found and evidence collected at the scene.

“We are very sure actually that the last person who was with him and had sex with him was the killer,” Bible said.

It took nearly two years to even charge Raines and his attorneys spent time throwing out other names of people B was involved with that witnesses had brought into the investigation.

Bible said in the end this case comes down to the DNA found in the apartment and while it took time for testing, Raine’s DNA was on B and on items at the scene.

“It’s a lot of fact witnesses, there are going to be doctors, DNA experts. This case is largely built on DNA. The DNA found in Brandon’s apartment, the DNA of our defendant who committed the crime and some of it takes more of an explanation,” Bible said.

The trial is expected to last into next week with that long list of witnesses to come. Channel 11 asked the defense attorneys if they wanted to comment on the first day, but they said they want to wait until the verdict to speak.

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