BY JOSH MILTON

Two men have been arrested in connection with the murder of two trans women whose bodies were found in a badly burned car in Puerto Rico.

Authorities announced Thursday (April 30) that two men are being held been in connection with the deaths of Layla Peláez, 21, and Serena Angelique Velázquez, 32, two friends who lived in New York City.

The suspects, Juan Carlos Pagán Bonilla, 21, and Sean Díaz de León, 19, have been turned over to the FBI, Captain Teddy Morales said, via The Americano.

Bureau detectives took over the case Thursday morning following public pressure from LGBT+ activists, El Vocero reported. Agents said that there is enough evidence to consider the incident a hate crime.

“There is no longer any doubt, this is an epidemic of anti-LGBT+ violence,” said Pedro Julio Serrano of Coalition for the Search for Equity, a Puerto Rican LGBT+ group.

He told PinkNews: These arrests are a step in the right direction, but these murders have to be prosecuted as hate crimes.

“One of the suspects confessed to have murdered them after they found out they were trans. They planned the murders, they took them for a ride to a lonely spot and burned them alive. Read more via Pink News