GREELEY, Colo. -- A man accused in the brutal beating death of a transgendered teen was formally charged

Allen Ray Andrade, 31, was charged with first-degree murder in the bludgeoning death of Angie Zapata. He is also charged with a bias motivated crime and motor vehicle theft.

Zapata, 18, was found dead in her Greeley apartment on July 17, and Andrade was arrested following two-week investigation into her slaying. Zapata was born a male but was living her life as a female, according to her family.

Friends and family members packed the courtroom for the Wednesday hearing, many of them wearing t-shirts that bore Zapata's photo.

Andrade was arrested in Thornton, where he lived. Police responding to a noise complaint said they found him in Zapata's 2003 PT Cruiser, which had been missing since her body was discovered.

Andrade told investigators that he met Zapata through MocoSpace, a social networking Web site, and that they agreed to get together after exchanging contact information over several days, according to an arrest affidavit released by Greeley police. The two met July 15 and spent the day together.

Andrade told investigators that Zapata performed oral sex on him but wouldn't let him touch her, according to the affidavit.

He said he also spent the night at Zapata's apartment, but in separate beds. The next day, Zapata left Andrade alone in her apartment, and Andrade noticed several photographs that led him to question Zapata's gender.

Andrade confronted Zapata when she got back. Zapata answered: "I am all woman."

He grabbed Zapata's crotch area, felt male genitalia and became angry, the affidavit states. He took a fire extinguisher off a shelf and struck Zapata twice in the head, telling investigators he thought he "killed it."

He said Zapata sat up a short time later and he hit Zapata in the head again with the fire extinguisher.

Police said they initially had her date of birth wrong. Zapata would have turned 19 on Tuesday.