A 25-year-old defendant was sentenced on Wednesday to 50 years to life in prison for the 2014 murder of a transgender woman on Melrose Avenue in East Hollywood.

Aniya Knee Parker was murdered in 2014 in East Hollywood. (photo courtesy of the LAPD)

The defendant, Ulises Carcamo, was described by police as a documented gang member. Carcamo was convicted in September of one count of murder for the slaying of Aniya Knee Parker, 47. Carcamo was also convicted of one count each of second-degree robbery and being a felon in possession of a gun.

A second defendant involved in the case, Eric Carreon Carrillo, 19, was convicted earlier of voluntary manslaughter and received a nine-year prison sentence on Oct. 20. Carrillo, who authorities said was 17 when the murder occurred and is also a documented gang member, pleaded no contest to manslaughter charges for his role in the murder.

Carcamo shot the victim, while both defendants attempted to rob Parker, said Det. Ray Martinez, with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Rampart Division.

Parker was shot and killed at approximately 3 a.m. on Oct. 2, 2014 near the intersection of Melrose and Kenmore Avenues, just west of Vermont Avenue. Martinez stressed that the murder resulted from a narcotics transaction and robbery, and was not a hate crime.

“[Carcamo] did the shooting,” Martinez said. “Carrillo took manslaughter. He testified in the case to receive the deal.”

Investigators found surveillance camera video near the crime scene that led them to the suspects. Authorities also confirmed their involvement and motive through witness statements and interviews with Carcamo’s and Carrillo’s fellow gang members, Martinez said.

Carrillo was arrested in December 2014, and Carcamo was taken into custody in March 2015. Both men are residents of the neighborhood where the murder occurred, Martinez said.

Parker was originally from Pasadena, but frequented the East Hollywood area. Detectives worked extensively with the transgender and LGBT community seeking leads in the case.

The Los Angeles City Council offered a $50,000 reward. Martinez said it was police work as opposed to public tips that solved the case, and no individual is eligible for the reward. The detective added that murder caused a significant amount of concern in the community, and police worked hard to solve the case quickly.

“It was a priority because of the public awareness of the murder, but it came together just like any other murder case,” Martinez said.