A murder trial is underway in DeKalb County for a man accused of killing a gay rights activist, then strangling and mutilating the corpse of his cellmate.

Donte Lamar Wyatt is facing trial in the death of Catherine Han Montoya, a member of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. The trial, held before Judge Asha Jackson, is expected to last at least a week.

Authorities have said Wyatt stabbed his estranged wife in Henry County on April 13, 2015, before breaking into Han Montoya's home on Moreland Avenue.

He allegedly raped and strangled her with a scarf.

In a separate case, he allegedly strangled his cellmate at the county jail and scraped out his eyeballs.

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An aerial view captures a large area under construction for a new data center campus on Thursday, May 29, 2025. Developed by QTS, the data center campus near Fayetteville is one of the largest under construction in Georgia. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

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