(KRON) -- This week a jury convicted a man of murdering a 24-year-old transgender woman and drag queen, Natalia Smut, in Milpitas. Elijah Cruz Segura, 25, of Union City, was found guilty of stabbing his girlfriend to death in April of 2021. Segura and Smut dated for several months leading up to the murder, prosecutors said. "Natalia was a celebrated drag queen, and her killing caused pain and shockwaves throughout the Bay Area community," the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office wrote. The jury's verdict likely marks the first-ever conviction in the county for a domestic violence case involving a transgender murder victim, prosecutors said. District Attorney Jeff Rosen said domestic violence crimes committed against the transgender community are tragically underreported and misunderstood, much like all domestic violence crimes were decades ago. "Domestic violence of all kinds hides in the shadows of our community," Rosen said. "We as a community will shine a light on it, fight against it, and work to help victims find empathy, safety, shelter, and justice." Jury hears Bob Lee’s last words on 911 tape Just before 2:30 a.m. on April 23, 2021, Segura called 911 and Milpitas police officers responded to a motel on Hillview Court, investigators said. Officers found Segura at the scene with blood on his hands, and discovered Smut had been stabbed multiple times, prosecutors said. She later died at a hospital. A GoFundMe page for the victim's memorial ceremony states, "She would step into a room like a firework. Everywhere she went, she brought energy, fierce looks, and a personality that shined bright like a diamond." Segura is facing 16 years-to-life in prison when he is sentenced in January 2025.