LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Louisville man who confessed to shooting and killing a transgender woman as she left her shift at the JB Swift plant in Butchertown learned his sentence Wednesday morning.
A jury convicted Edilberto Reyes in April for the murder of Zachee Imanitwitaho and recommended a 30-year prison sentence. In court Wednesday morning, a judge obliged, sentencing Reyes to 30 years in prison.
The shooting happened Feb. 3, 2023, at the JB Swift plant in the 1300 block of Story Avenue just after 3 p.m. Louisville Metro Police confirmed the shooting happened in the parking lot of the plant and that the victim was an employee.
Zachee Imanitwitaho
A short time after the shooting, LMPD said Reyes contacted them and confessed to the shooting. He met officers at Metro Corrections in downtown Louisville, where he was arrested.
After the shooting, dozens of people from Louisville's LGBTQ+ community gathered for a vigil to remember the life of Imanitwitaho, a Black transgender woman who grew up in a refugee camp in Rwanda until she immigrated to Louisville in 2019.
Imanitwitaho was remembered as a person with a big smile, who loved being with friends, and was excited about being in the U.S. with the promise of a better, brighter future.
Copyright 2026 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
