A trial date has been set in the homicide case of Diamond Williams, a local transgender woman who was stabbed to death two years ago.
Charles N. Sargent is accused of murdering Williams in July 2013 and then dismembering her body.
A one-week jury trial is set to begin March 14, 2016, in Room 807 of the Criminal Justice Center, 1301 Filbert St. The presiding judge hasn’t been announced.
Assistant District Attorney Kristen Kemp will serve as prosecutor and J. Michael Farrell will serve as defense attorney, according to court records.
Sargent allegedly invited Williams to his Strawberry Mansion residence during the early-morning hours of July 14, 2013.
Sargent told police he stabbed Williams in self-defense after she demanded a pre-arranged payment of $40 for performing oral sex, which he said he refused to pay because she had a penis.
But Sargent seeks suppression of his police statement, contending it was obtained under duress.
Sargent, 45, remains incarcerated at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Northeast Philadelphia.