Mistrial In Zelle Ziona Case

Have some bad news to report in terms of one of our slain sisters receiving justice in Zelle Ziona.

Last month Rico LeBlond went on trial in Montgomery County, MD for the October 2015 murder of 21 year old Zelle Ziona.  He was charged with first degree murder, and was facing life in prison if he was convicted.

But unfortunately, after several days of testimony the jury deadlocked at 10-2 in favor of conviction, Circuit Judge Anne Albright declared a mistrial.

The Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office is planning to retry the case again.

We believe that we will obtain a guilty verdict in the next trial," said Ramon Korniloff, the spokesperson for the attorney's office.

Her trans siblings, Zelle's family and all who loved her hope that is the result of the next trial as well.

Rest In Power and Peace, Jo Jo Striker

I'm sorry to ruin Valentine's Day for y'all but it's my sad duty to report that we have lost another trans woman to anti-trans violence and hate.  We go to Toledo, Ohio for the latest news about the third trans person murdered in 2017

23 year old JoJo Striker was found dead on the evening of February 8 at in a vacant north Toledo garage at 215 Austin Street just before 7 PM EST .

Striker died from a single gunshot would to her torso and as you probably guessed as to why I and other media is just now finding out about out lost trans sister is because once again, local media are misgendering her along with her family.

I'm really sick of this repeatedly happening to Black trans women and tired of the media disrespecting her.   I'm also upset that once again, we have had another Black trans woman violently taken from us before her 30th birthday.

The Toledo PD investigation into this crime is ongoing and they have no leads so far in this case.  If you have any information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of the waste of DNA who did this, please call Crime Stoppers at 419-255-111

Rest in power and peace JoJo.   You trans siblings and all who loved you won't rest until the person who did this is brought to justice and rotting in a jail cell.

Rest In Power and Peace Jamie Lee

We haven't finished our first week of 2017, and we have now lost two trans people in the United States to anti-trans violence.

The latest trans person to unfortunately be killed in 2017 is 28 year old Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow of Sioux Falls, SD.   A neighbor smelled a strong odor coming from a nearby apartment at 8th Street and N. Cleveland Avenue on the east side of Sioux Falls Friday night.

When police arrived at that location, they discovered the body of Wounded Arrow.  It is presumed she was murdered on New Year's Day.

Jamie was new to the Sioux Falls area, and grew up on the Pine Ridge reservation. She was a proud Oglala Lakota trans woman working at a local call center and an active member of Sioux Falls Two-Spirit and Allies.

The Sioux Falls PD is considering her death a homicide, and they are looking for any information that will help them solve this case.

There will be a prayer service for Jamie Lee tonight at 6 PM tonight at the Cleveland Heights Apartments.

Rest in power and peace Jamie   We won't rest until the person who killed you is brought to justice.

Moni's TDOR 2016 Thoughts

We will lose more transgender people to violence. The Remembering Our Dead list will get longer. The anti-transgender rhetoric coming from their acolytes will get nastier and more hateful. They will try to spin and twist Bible verses to favor their immoral positions. But in the end the result will still be the same and the neo-fascists will lose. --TransGriot  June 14, 2007

Today is the 18th Transgender Day of Remembrance, in which we memorialize the people we lost due to anti-trans violence. here in the US and around the world.

This year's TDOR observance is coming upon the heels of a contentious national election in which an unqualified moron who told racist white people what they wanted to hear basically got himself elected to the presidency of this nation.  

That election has consequences for the country, and unfortunately our community and its fragile human rights will be the first in the crosshairs of this undemocratic regime that is Making America Hate Again and ramping up anti-trans animus for political gain.

Unfortunately, that anti-trans animus has resulted in the untimely loss of trans lives, with the vast majority of them being trans people of color.

Jazz Alford, 30 years old
Amos Beede, 38 years old
Keyonna Blakeney, 22 years old
Brandi Bledsoe, 32 years old
Veronica Banks Cano, 30s
Kayden Clarke, 24 years old
Goddess Diamond, 20 years old
Deeniquia Dodds, 22 years old
Shante Isaac, 34 years old
Kedarie/Kandicee Johnson, 16 years old
Monica Loera, 43 years old
Skye Mockabee, 26 years old
Noony Norwood, 30 years old
T. T. Saffore, 20s
Jasmine Sierra, 52 years old
Demarkis Stansberry, 30 years old
Mercedes Successful, 32 years old
Rae'lynn Thomas, 28 years old
Erykah Tijerina, 36 years old
Tyreece "Reecey" Walker, 32 years old
Dee Whigham, 25 years old
Quartney Davia Dawsonn-Yochum, 32 years old
Maya Young, 24 years old

Say their names tonight and from now on.  
The majority of the American trans people whose names we will say and light a candle for tonight as part of our regrettable contribution to the international list of trans souls lost are Black and Latina.  

When will their Black Lives Matter, Black community?   When will these Latina lives matter to you, Latinx community?  

When will trans lives matter to this nation, period?

Once this day is over, it's nation time trans Americans and allies..  The  transphobic bigots are compiling unjust  legislation to oppress us that we must fight with every fiber of our beings.  We are going to have to come together as never before and fight the evil that wants to eviscerate our existence.  

We unfortunately have some vanillacentric privileged people in our own ranks who fell for the Trump okey doke and conveniently forgot that theirs and the community's humanity was on the ballot November 8.   They  gleefully voted for the guy with an openly transphobic vice president thinking that their lost white privilege and their wallets were more important than the human rights of the entire trans community, and their white skin would protect them from harm.  

They are about to find out it won't.   They failed us, and more importantly, failed our trans kids, who were depending on their trans elders to handle their electoral business and keep this unqualified man out of the Oval Office.

Today we mourn the people we lost.   Tomorrow we prepare to do what we always do and fight for our very humanity.   And yes, we will win.  Yeah I know I said that in 2007, but I believe it, and I'm going to speak it into existence today.   We have the moral high ground, our haters don't no matter how much Biblical scripture the radicalized faith based haters try to throw.

But this time, we won't be fighting for our humanity and our human rights alone. We will have human rights organizations and allies working intersectionally by our side and at least until noon EST on January 20,  the power of the Obama Administration.

Transgender rights are human rights. and we will have legislators on Capitol Hill and across the country willing to do the right thing and stand up for us.   We will have trans parents standing with us and their kids.  We also have history to peruse that gives us insight on how to fight the hateful evil that has once again befallen this country and we are squarely in the crosshairs of.

Our vision of our community and a fair and just America is worth fighting for.

As the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr once said, we must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.   The progress that we have made gives me hope that we will get through this.

Texas 2016 TDOR Events

The Transgender Day of Remembrance memorial events are taking place across the Lone Star State during this  Trans Awareness Week leading up to the TDOR itself on November 20.

It's been a rough year, and the election results didn't help matters for us.  If you can please support these TDOR events and others if you can.  The Texas trans community will be targeted for oppression in this upcoming Texas legislative session, and we need to know that you have our backs

We are also participating in event around the state and nation in advance of the TDOR to educate people about our lives and the issues we face.

This is just the short list of TDOR events happening across the state.   If there are others, let me know via e-mail ASAP so I can update the post.


Thursday November 17

San Antonio
1621 N. Main Ave.
San Antonio, TX 78212
Rear parking lot of that location
6-7 PM

MCC San Antonio
611 E. Myrtle St.
San Antonio, TX 78212
7-9 PM

San Marcos
Wesley UCM
510 N Guadalupe St
San Marcos, TX 78666
7 PM

Saturday, November 19
Houston
A.D. Bruce Religion Center
University of Houston
3841 Cullen Blvd
Houston, TX 77204
(hosted by HTUC)
6:30-10 PM

Fort Worth 
First Jefferson UU Church
1959 Sandy Ln
Fort Worth, TX 78112
7-9 PM

Sunday, November 20

Waco
Waco Heritage Square
311 Austin Ave.
Waco, TX 76702
5-7 PM

Dallas
Legacy of Love Monument
Oak Lawn Triangle
(at Cedar Springs)
6-8 PM

Houston
Houston City Hall
901 Bagby St.
Houston, TX 77002
6:30-10 PM

Austin 
City Hall Plaza
301 W. 3rd St
Austin TX 78701
6:30-9:30 PM

El Paso
Borderland Rainbow Center
2423 Silver Avenue
El Paso, TX 79930
6-7 PM

Houchen Community Center
609 Tays St
El Paso, TX 79901
5-8 PM

TDOR History Snapshot

We know that TDOR occurs on November 20, and has grown to become an international event.

But what is the history of it and why did it start?

It started in the wake of the November 28,1998 murder of Rita Hester and the transphobic media coverage of it in gay and mainstream media outlets that incensed the Boston area and national trans community.   Hester's killer as of this date has not been brought to justice.

On the one year anniversary of Hester's death, because we were starting to forget the names of the people who had been murdered at that time because it was happening so frequently and we had better information about it thanks to the Internet, San Francisco based trans advocate Gwen Smith founded the Remembering Our Dead web project to track and memorialize those folks we have lost to anti- trans violence.

Smith also organized a vigil in San Francisco on the one year anniversary of Hester's death that grew into the Transgender Day of Remembrance event we are familiar with almost two decades later.  The TDOR was rapidly adopted elsewhere in the United States and the rest of the world.

The basic elements of a TDOR are the same no matter where the event happens.

A list of names of trans people murdered from November 21 of the previous year to the date of this year's TDOR is read an a candle is lit for that person.  Depending on where you are in the world and who is conducting it, there are other regional or local international touches added to the basic ceremony.

Some areas also do a week of educational events and panel discussions in the lead up to the TDOR. since in addition to now being an international trans event, it has now become part of Transgender Awareness Week and Transgender Awareness Month.

TDOR is at its core, a memorial service for the people we lost.  It's a reminder to friends, foes and frenemies that our lives mater.  our humanity matters and these are.lives lost we'll never get back

It's also a time that we collectively remind the cis community that the humanity and human rights of trans people here and around the world are not up for discussion or debate.

TDOR is also a time that we reflect on the people we lost, and rededicate ourselves to the task of ending anti-trans violence, .

RIP Nooni Norwood

Have some sad news to report on this Election Day in that we have lost another trans woman to anti-trans violence.

30 year old Nooni Norwood of Richmond, VA was shot on the city's south side in the 2700 block of Hull Street on November 5 and died from her wounds at the hospital the next day.

Richmond police have released a photo of a person of interest in Norwood's killing , and if  you have information that will lead to the capture and conviction of this person you are asked to call Major Crimes Detective Anthony Coates at (804) 646-0729 or Crime Stoppers at 780-1000

She is now the 24th trans woman to have been murdered this year, and once again, we've have lost another one of my Black trans sisters.

Once again, Black community I ask the question when will our Black Trans Lives Matter?

Rest in power and peace, Nooni.  Your trans family won't rest until the waste of DNA who killed you is captured and brought to justice.

Rest In Power Brandi Bledsoe

We have lost another trans woman to violence, once again in Cleveland.

32 year old Brandi Bledsoe was found dead on Saturday clad only in her underwear and with white plastic bags covering her head and hands in the driveway behind a home on Drexel Avenue near 108th Street.  

And as you probably guessed, she was initially misgendered by the local media.

Her body was found at 10 AM EDT by a 5 year old boy riding his bike with his 12 year old brother

Police also reported that Bledsoe had head trauma and with the investigation of her death in its early stages, investigators are taking her trans status into account.

She is now the 23rd trans person killed this year in the US.  Her death now makes this the deadliest year for US trans women since we started keeping track of the murders of our trans siblings.   And once again for me, it falls into that infuriating pattern of an under 40 Black trans woman being killed

There has not been an arrest in this case yet, but will keep you TransGriot readers apprised of any developments in the Bledsoe case.

As of yet there isn't any information about a memorial service or vigil and I'll pass that info along once I receive it.

Rest in power and peace Brandi.  We will not rest as a community until the waste of DNA who killed you is captured and brought to justice.  

Denzell Thomas Charged In Jazz Alford Murder

Some good news to report in the Jazz Alford murder.

23 year old Denzell Thomas, who was already being held on $200,000 bond in the Jefferson County Jail for a home invasion robbery and shooting of a trans woman, is now being charged with the murder of Jazz Alford.

Thomas was already facing attempted murder and first degree aggravated robbery in the home invasion case in which another trans woman was shot in the face, and now he's facing a murder charge for allegedly killing Alford.

Alford was buried in North Carolina on October 1, and we'll now be watching to see if justice is served in this case.   .

Service For Cheryl Courtney-Evans October 12

The life and legacy of our pioneering trans sister Cheryl C. Courtney-Evans will be celebrated on Wednesday, October 12 at the Vision Church of Atlanta starting at 12 PM EDT.

The Vision Church of Atlanta is located at 704 Ormewood Ave SE. in Atlanta, GA

Following the service, the repast will take place at the Phillip Rush Center Annex, located at 1553 DeKalb Ave NE, also in the ATL.

The repast will be a potluck, and the request is being made for people who plan to attend to bring a dish to share with other.  

A request is also being made for people to bring their favorite photos of Cheryl to contribute to a photo memory wall that will be set up at the repast.

If there's any additional information, I'll pass it along to you as I receive it..

Dee Whigham Case Update

This update in the Dee Whigham case is trigger warning worthy because it is going to discuss just how savage her murder was and how the waste of DNA who killed her deserves to be thrown under the jail, or even get lethal injection for it.

Whigham was found dead in her St Martin, MS hotel room on July 23. and the waste of DNA who allegedly killed Whigham was in court on September 12 as Jackson County Sheriff's Deputy Leo Allen described what happened from the witness stand.

The waste of DNA I'm talking about is 20 year old Dwayna Hickerson, who was captured on hotel surveillance video walking into the hotel room with Whigham, then leaving alone 23 minutes later.

According to Allen's testimony. the autopsy report revealed that Whigham was stabbed 119 times, with over 100 of those stab wounds to her face.  Her throat was also slashed three times.

Hickerson stole a Coach bag belonging to Whigham along with her cell phone and other personal items. His bloody clothes were found in a dumpster not far from his Keesler Air Force Base barracks, and base surveillance camera captured him throwing a large garbage bag in the trash.

The items stolen from Whigham were found on a beach near Keesler AFB partially burned.

Hickerson has been charged with capital murder in this case, and I will be keeping an eye on developments in it to see if Dee Whigham receives justice.

Arrest Made In Deneequia Dodds Case

I have some good news to report in that an arrest has been made in the Deenequia Dodds case.

You'll recall that Dodds was found by a pedestrian shot in the neck in the early morning hours of July 4 in the 200 block of Division Ave NE just a few blocks from her home/  She succumbed July 13 from her gunshot wound after nine days on life support at Prince George's Hospital Center.

There were unfortunately no witnesses at the time to what happened to Dee Dee, and MPD detectives suspected it was a robbery and a $25,000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer.

Looks like the reward worked in getting the necessary information.

22 year old Shareem Hall of District Heights, MD was arrested yesterday morning and charged with murder while armed.   Hate crime charge enhancements are a serious consideration in this case according to Interim MPD Police Chief Peter Newsham.

Know that I and my DC trans family will be keeping an eye on this case to ensure that justice is served.
 

Two More Trans Women Of Color Killed In Ohio And Texas

While I was up in western New York making a little trans history with Janet Mock, the world kept turning, and I stepped off the ground to find out that two of my sisters have been killed.

And once again, it fit the infuriating pattern in these trans murders of both trans women being under age 40, and being trans women of color

The one that really bothers me is the murder of 28 year old Rae Lynn Thomas of Columbus, Ohio.   This one happened mere weeks after the death up I-71 un Cleveland of 26 year old Skye Mockabee and sadly fits one of my mantras that I often repeat when I talk about anti trans bigotry and hatred.

Anti-trans hate thoughts + anti-trans hate speech = anti-trans hate violence and murders.

Thomas was murdered by her mother's transphobic ex boyfriend James Allen  Byrd.   He often hurled anti-trans slurs at Rae Lynn and referred to her as 'the devil'.

Gee, wonder where the 53 year old Byrd heard that description and some of that anti-trans rhetoric?  Pope Francis? Some sellout kneegrow pastor?   The Republican Party?   Right wing media?

Wherever he heard it, it unfortunately resulted in Byrd unfortunately taking his transphobic hate thoughts and hate speech to another level on Wednesday, as he called Thomas 'the devil' one last more time before he shot her twice and killed her.

And once again, the local paper, the Columbus Dispatch, added insult to injury by not only misgendering Rae Lynn, but refuses so far to correct their problematic story.

He was arrested, charged with murder and is being held in the Franklin County Jail on a $2 million bond.   Hope that will be a permanent condition for his when justice is served in this case.

775 miles to the west of me along I-10 in El Paso, we lost another trans woman to senseless anti-trans violence on Monday.

38 year old Erykah Tijerina was found dead in her apartment on Lisbon St.   El Paso County medical examiners have not as yet ruled on the cause of Erykah's death, but El Paso police investigators in the Crimes Against persons unit are quoted as saying there were obvious signs of foul play.

And just as in the Thomas murder, Tijerina was misgendered in the El Paso press.

Her family thinks it was a hate crime and she was targeted for being her unapologetic trans Latina self.  In case you're wondering, no thanks to Diane Hardy-Garcia, the head at the time of the proto organization, the Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby that became Equality Texas.  As the ED of the LGRL she was responsible despite our best efforts, for throwing Texas trans people under the legislative bus in 1999 and 2001,

And nope, still pissed off about what happened in Austin at that time.

As a result of her actions, Texas trans people are not covered under the state's James Byrd Hate Crimes law that eventually passed in the 2001 Texas legislative session.  Translation: Tijerina's death isn't being investigated as a hate crime as a result of that legislative bull feces.

I'll gripe about that legislative travesty another time.  Right now I need to be focused on the fact my fellow Texan's life was tragically cut short earlier this week.

And yeah Dan Patrick, Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton and Texas Republican Party, your anti-trans rhetoric has real world consequences and negative ripple effects in the lives of transgender Texans

As of this writing there has not been an arrest made in Tijerina's murder, and anyone who has information that will lead to the capture and successful prosecution of it is urged to call El paso Crime Stoppers at 915-566- TIPS (8477) or toll free at 877- 566-TIPS.

If you have tips that will lead to the expeditious capture, prosecution and conviction of Tijerina's killer, please call the El Paso Police Department at 951-000-0000, text EPPD and the tip to 847411 or submit an anonymous tip

There will be a vigil hosted by Sun City Pride for Tijerina at The Edge nightclub tonight at 8:30 Pm MDT, with a second vigil being planned for August 21.

Tijerina's family also has a GoFundMe page up to help raise funds to defray the costs of her funeral.

I will be keeping up with the legal developments in both these cases until both the perpetrators of these murders are brought to justice.

Rest in power and peace Rae Lynn and Erykah.

Arrest Made In Dee Wigham Case

I'm happy to report for you TransGriot readers that an arrest has been madee in the Dee Whigham case.   She's the latest one of our sisters to be unfortunately taken from us in 2016.

The 25 year old Whigham was found stabbed to death in her St. Martin, MS hotel room on Saturday after traveling there with a group of friends from the Hattiesburg, MS area to attend the Gulf Coast Black Rodeo in Biloxi, MS.

20 year old Navy seaman Dwanya Hickerson of New Orleans, who was stationed at nearby Keesler AFB for training was arrested Monday morning and charged with capital murder     He got charged with capital murder because he was trying to rob Whigham.

Hickerson was the man spotted on the hotel surveillance cameras leaving Whigham's room, and a tip led investigators to Keesler AFB armed with a with a search warrant.  Hickerson had been there at Keesler since April for training.

The case is an ongoing investigation, and as I get more developments I'll pass them along to you TransGriot readers.  

Justice For Mercedes Williamson! Vallum Found Guilty!

There's updated news in the Mercedes Williamson case.  Josh Vallum, the waste of DNA who killed Williamson has pled guilty to her murder, and was sentenced to life in prison!

The 28 year old Vallum was a member of the Latin Kings street gang, and he stabbed and beat to death 17 year old Williamson back on May 30, 2015 at his father's home in George County, MS and buried her on the property.

Vallum was indicted for the murder of Williamson on July 29, 2015 and pled guilty to the heinous crime.  

Vallum will be eligible for parole when he hits age 65, which won't be until 2053.

But we can now note that another murderer of a trans woman is locked up behind bars, and we'll be watching and waiting 3 years from now to ensure you stay there.

Continue to rest in power and peace, Mercedes.

RIP Dee Whigham

We've lost another trans sister to senseless violence, this time in Mississippi

Dee Whigham is her name, and the 25 year old registered nurse was found stabbed to death Saturday in a hotel room in St Martin. MS.   She was just starting her career in the medical field and worked for a hospital in Hattiesburg.

And once again, another Black trans woman who won't make it to her 30th birthday.

Whigham had traveled to the South Mississippi area with several friends in order to attend the Gulf Coast Black Rodeo in Biloxi, and she and her friends were staying in Room 127 at the Best Western Plus Cypress Creek Hotel just north of I-10 near the Ocean Springs exit

There is a person of interest in the murder that Jackson County sheriffs are looking for.   A man was spotted by the hotel security cameras around 8:35 PM wearing a green shirt and carrying a backpack, but at 8:58 PM showing the same man leaving with his shirt off and hanging around his neck.

Jackson County Sheriffs are looking for any information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the Whigham murder case, and if you do have information that will help solve it, call Detective Leo Allen at 228-875-0292, the Jackson County sheriff's dispatchers at 228-769-3060 or Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898 or online at mscoastcrimestoppers.com

Rest in power and peace sis.   We won't rest until your killer is brought to justice.

TransGriot Update: An arrest has been made in the Dee Whigham murder.   20 year old  Dwanya Hickerson has been charged with her murder.

RIP Deneequia Dodds

Once again we have lost another of our young trans people to senseless violence.

22 year old Dennequia 'Dee Dee' Dodds was shot in the early morning hours on July 4 in a northeast DC alley just a few blocks from her home in the 200 block of Division Ave NE.  After police were flagged down to reach her at 3 AM EDT, she was taken to an area hospital with a gunshot wound to her neck, and was on life support for nine days before she was taken off of it and died July 13

"Her death reminds us all how often the transgender community is targeted for violence in our society," said longtime DC based trans advocate Earline Budd, who is acting as a spokesperson for the family.

Casa Ruby founding executive director Rudy Corado said in a statement, "Deneequia was part of the Casa Ruby family, and she is gone but not forgotten.  Her death will not be in vain."

"Casa Ruby denounces the genocide of young transgender women of color. People in leadership need to address the employment barriers that keeps trans women of color from accessing the resources they need to grow healthy and thrive," Corado added.

She would have celebrated her 23rd birthday this month.   Instead her family is planning her funeral instead of a birthday party. . A vigil was held in the courtyard of her home  at 5255 Clay Terrace NE on Saturday, with Dodds' funeral scheduled to take place July 25.

Deneequia Dodds has become the 15th trans person to die this year, and fits the ongoing pattern of anti-trans violence of  being a trans woman of color and under age 30.

DC Metropolitan Police has not released any information about a suspect, nor are they investigating Dodds' murder as a hate crime.  But with her death, when they do catch the perpetrator of this crime, that waste of DNA will be facing homicide charges.

MPD is also looking for information that will help solve this crime and bring Deneequia's killer to justice    You can call 202-727-9099 if you have information about this case.  You can also text 50411 to anonymously submit you information about this case.

There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this  case, and I hope our sister receives justice soon.  The Washington DC trans community and our allies will be making sure that happens.

Tamara Dominguez Murder Update

As you TransGriot readers know, we had a record number of trans women killed in 2015, with far too many of them being Black and Latina. Information about the state of their cases at times has either been slow in coming or I have been busy keeping up with other community news stories that have unfortunately resulted in me putting these cases on the back burner until new info pops up.

I now have some updated info for the Tamara Dominguez case.   You'll recall 36 year old Tamara was run over multiple times and left for dead in a Kansas City, MO church parking lot on August 15, 2015, and later succumbed to her injuries.

Dominguez's death was declared a homicide due to blunt force trauma.

And unfortunately, the pattern of disrespect in death continued.  Local KC media deadnamed her before correcting the story.  Her body was eventually shipped back to Mexico, where her brother refused to recognize her transition, deadnamed her, had a closed casket ceremony and refused to follow the Mexican feminine burial tradition of decorating the ceremony with red and white flowers.

The person accused of murdering her is 29 year old Luis M. Sanchez.  Surveillance video showed her getting into a black Chevy Avalanche SUV owned by Sanchez.  A witness saw her get out of it and slam the passenger side door before walking away.

The witness then observed Sanchez gun the SUV's engine as he ran over Dominguez with it several times before departing the scene and as we now know fleeing to Colorado after his vehicle was seized by authorities on August 21, 2015.

Sanchez was arrested in Lakewood, Colorado on May 3, and charged on Monday with first degree murder and armed criminal action according to Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters-Baker.

Prosecutors have requested a $250,000 bond for Sanchez as he awaits extradition back to Missouri to face the legal music for the murder of Tamara Dominguez.. That extradition hearing will take place in Jefferson County, CO on July 11.

Missouri also has a hate crimes law that covers gender identity, but so far the case is not being prosecuted by authorities as a hate crime.   Really?  A trans feminine person is run over with an SUV multiple times and it's NOT a hate crime?

Stay tuned as we see if Tamara receives justice and if Luis M. Sanchez pays for his crime.

Rest In Power, Mercedes

Once again, it's my sad TransGriot duty to announce that we've lost another trans sister due to senseless violence.

We move to Haines City, FL to talk about the death of 32 year old Mercedes Successful, whose body was found on Sunday at 7 PM in the parking lot of Big Lots and Tractor Supply Company at 35884 US 27.

And as you probably guessed, Mercedes got misgendered in the initial reporting by Bay 9.  While I know the deadname, I'm not using it in this post so that I can give her the respect she deserves of being seen in death as she was during her all too brief life.

And once again, we have lost another Black trans sister before her 40th birthday.  I'm beyond sick and tired of being sick and tired of this crap happening.  The conservative movement's facts free anti-trans rhetoric and transphobic hatred has real world costs, and trans women of color are paying in blood those costs.

Haines City Police are investigating her death as a homicide, but the extent of the injuries and cause of death are unknown pending the autopsy that was performed on Monday.

If you have information that will get us closer to solving this crime and apprehending the person or persons who killed our trans sister, you are urged to call the Haines City Police at 863-421-3636 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS (8477)

Mercedes was born in Kingston, Jamaica but resided in Haines City.  She was involved in the drag and pageant world, but according to various Facebook posts had recently started her transition two months ago and was on HRT..

This is a developing news story, and as I continue to get details about this heinous crime, I'll pass the details on to you TransGriot readers.

Rest in power and peace, Mercedes.  Your trans siblings, family and all who loved you will not rest until the person who took you from us is brought to justice.

TransGriot Update:  Results of the autopsy showed that Mercedes died from a gunshot wound.

Two Arrests Made In Keyonna Blakeney Case

Good news to report in the case concerning our departed sister Keyonna Blakeney, who was found on April 16 beaten and stabbed to death in a Rockville, MD hotel room days after celebrating her birthday.  

 Two arrests have been made in the case.  Montgomery County. MD police with the assistance of US Marshals have arrested 21 year old Keith Christopher Renier and 17 year old juvenile Arbra Arnie Bethea in SE Washington DC yesterday and charged both of them with first degree murder..  

Bethea has been charged (and rightly so) as an adult in this case, but because he is a juvenile, a photo of him was not released to the media.  Renier and Bethea are also facing charges of armed robbery, conspiracy to commit first degree murder and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

Both are being held in the custody of the district of Columbia Department of Corrections and are both awaiting extradition to Montgomery County, MD.

Stay tuned to these TransGriot electronic pages to get more information about this ongoing Blakeney case as I receive it.  Let's also hope and pray that justice is properly served.