Brett Murphy

brett.murphy@naplesnews.com; 239-213-6042

Terry Brady will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing a transgender woman and then setting her on fire.

Lee County Circuit Judge Frank Porter gave the sentence Monday after hearing Brady's testimony and denying another appeal from the defense lawyers.

"There was no one piece," Porter told Brady in court. "There were many pieces of evidence that came together."

In September a jury convicted Brady, 47, on a second-degree murder charge for the June 2014 slaying of Yaz'min Shancez, 31.

Fort Myers man faces life in killing of transgender woman

Last week Shancez’s mother, Linda Owens, offered sobering testimony, pleading for a heavy sentence and applauding her son's self-acceptance — unlike that of Brady. She said she couldn’t understand how a man could murder someone out of his own shame.

Brady "will always try to be with someone like my son and hide who he really is,” Owens said.

Brady, sitting in red prison clothes, hunched over the microphone to maintain his innocence one last time before Porter handed down the sentence. He apologized first to his family, who were in the audience, and then to Shancez's, who were not.

"Maybe one day we'll find out who did this crime," Brady said. He blamed political agendas and unsupported theories for his conviction. "You're telling me you can take a man's life based on a theory?

"If you went by the law, we wouldn't be sitting here today."

Jury finds Brady guilty of transgender woman's murder

The main piece of evidence presented by prosecutors was the gun found in Brady's Fort Myers apartment. But defense lawyer Robert Harris argued several times, unsuccessfully, that the grounds on which Brady's home was searched were insufficient.

After the hearing Harris said he plans to immediately file an appeal to address the issue of the wrongfully issued warrant. Police had linked a car at the crime scene to the one at Brady's home.

"That's pretty thin," Harris said. He argued that the warrant never should have been issued and thus the gun never found.

"This isn't about just protecting Brady," Harris said, pointing to the societal dangers of unfounded home searches. "It's about protecting all of us and the sanctity of our home."

Fort Myers man arrested in killing, burning of transgender woman

Harris had delayed Monday's sentencing a week while he investigated possible juror misconduct that could have tainted the trial. He said that didn't pan out.

Brady's family declined to comment after the sentencing.