An Albany jury on Nov. 16 found Iaeir Robinson guilty of second-degree murder in the 2022 killing of Ahsid Hemingway-Powell, a transgender woman and activist, the Albany County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Hemingway-Powell, 30, was shot to death in her Albany apartment by Robinson sometime between the afternoon of May 27 and morning of May 28, 2022, according to prosecutors, who said Robinson believed Hemingway-Powell had transmitted HIV to him. Prosecutors said that while both the Hemingway-Powell and Robinson had HIV, it is unknown how either of them had contracted it.
“I’m glad that we got justice, I’m glad my children got a little at ease,” her mother, Jackie Powell, said to News 13 after the trial, before adding that “there was no winner on this. You can’t bring my baby back.”
Hemingway-Powell had graduated from the University of Albany with a degree in biology on May 14, 2022, the Times Union reported. She had planned to become a physician assistant and move to California.
Robinson’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 19, 2024. He faces 25 years to life in prison.
Ariel Fallon, the lead prosecutor in the case, said now that the trial is over she would like to remember Hemingway-Powell as “the beautiful soul we lost.”
“She had so much to offer this city, from the LGBTQ+ community and beyond,” Fallon said, as reported by Times Union. “Sid will be sorely missed, and I hope today’s verdict brings some sense of closure to her loved ones.”
Since her murder last year, Jackie Powell, Hemingway-Powell’s mother, has continued to honor her memory, starting a foundation in her name.
Powell told News 13 that following her death she received an outpouring of support from the Albany community.
“They were showing my baby so much love,” she said. “It was amazing.”
