Homicide victim from East St. Louis was advocate for transgender community
The East St. Louis mother of a woman allegedly murdered by her boyfriend last week in the St. Louis suburb of Affton, Missouri, is raising money for funeral expenses with a GoFundMe campaign.
Friends and family of the late Kelsey Elem, 25, formerly of East St. Louis, also have flooded social media with tributes and condolences, describing her as a happy and beautiful transgender woman who was comfortable in her own skin and willing to help others in need.
“She was a shining light,” her stepfather, Trey Brock, of East St. Louis, said in an interview this week. “She was always in a good mood. She would give you the shirt off her back. She always did things for the homeless.
“Anybody who needed help as far as transitioning or anything, she was always willing to talk. She was open about her situation.”
Elem allegedly was shot and killed in her Affton home on April 24 by Martino Lewis, 21, of St. Louis, according to a complaint filed by the prosecuting attorney’s office in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County. The two were described as being in a “romantic relationship.”
An accompanying statement of probably cause, prepared by a St. Louis County police officer, alleged:
- An eye witness overheard Elem and Lewis arguing and observed Lewis punch her.
- Elem stated that she feared Lewis was going to get her gun and asked the witness to call police.
- While talking to a 911 operator, the witness heard a gunshot and saw Lewis run of the residence and flee the scene in Elem’s vehicle.
“(Lewis) provided a firearm to another witness and stated (Elem) had been shot while they were driving and that he had taken her to the hospital, which investigation proved to be untrue,” the statement read.
“(Lewis) was apprehended in St. Louis City while still in possession of (Elem’s) vehicle and admitted that a physical altercation had occurred.”
Lewis was charged with second-degree murder (Class A felony), armed criminal action (Class U felony) and domestic assault (Class E felony). A judge set his bond at $400,000.
Elem was a graduate of East St. Louis Senior High School, according to her stepfather. She identified herself as a certified nursing assistant and caregiver on her Facebook page.
Calvenita Brock, Elem’s mother, set up a GoFundMe campaign on April 25, explaining that Elem had no life insurance and the family didn’t have the money to “send her away properly.” The campaign web page states that a funeral service is planned for May 9.
“(Kelsey) was murdered last night around 11:15 pm by her friend after getting into a fight. In which the friend shot my daughter in the head, killing my baby,” Calvenita Brock wrote in the campaign description.
“Life was at its best for my daughter because she was comfortably loving her life. I was so pleased with the way that my my daughter was enjoying life that was taken away way too soon.”
As of Thursday evening, the campaign had raised nearly $4,000 of a $10,000 goal with contributions from 108 people.
Calvenita Brock declined an interview with the BND this week. She spoke with a KSDK-TV reporter last week while removing Elem’s belongings from her small brick home on Grace Avenue in Affton. She called Lewis a friend and a “dude” that Elem had been helping.
News of Elem’s death traveled around social media quickly and widely. A representative of the Florida-based Unspoken Treasure Society, which provides support, resources and services to the LGBTQ+ community, shared it in an April 26 post.
“We say her name Kelsey Elem,” the post read. “Another Black Transwoman Murdered by her significant other. Unspoken Treasure Society sends out prayers to her family and loved ones.”
Elem began transitioning several years ago, her father said, but she didn’t change her name. She often posted about her journey on Facebook, including before-and-after photos.
In an April 23 post, Elem called her transition “epic” and “a surprise” but something she “always wanted to do.”
“In now I’m happy enough to embrace,” she wrote. “It took a lot for me get here in a couple years but hey I did I’m proud of my lifeee in so many ways it just shocks me wen I look back like I was tht dude now tht Girl but yea moral of story love your life (expletive) what people say at the end of day.”
