Arrest Made In Tracy Single Williams Case

The Houston Police Department (HPD) has announced it has made an arrest in the Tracy Single Williams case. 

The waste of DNA who did it was dating her.

25 year old Joshua Dominic Bourgeois was arrested on Friday and has been charged with the murder of the 22 year old Williams.   She was living in an apartment on Houston's west side at the time of her murder and was in a dating relationship with Bourgeois. .   

Her body was found in a gas station parking lot along the 11700 block of  I-10 in west Houston just west of Beltway 8 around 3;30 AM back on July 30, and her death was ruled by the Harris County coroner as a homicide.   Williams body according to HPD spokespersons had severe lacerations in addition to a puncture wound.

Bourgeois is currently cooling his heels in the Harris County Jail without bond, and it is unknown as of this writing if he has a defense attorney.

And yes, you can bet that the Houston area trans community and our allies will be closely watching this case to ensure that justice is served for Tracy and her family.

Number 13-Rest In Power and Peace Marquis 'Kiki' Fantroy

Was just made aware of the fact that we closed out the month of July with another trans murder.
We travel to Miami for the latest one in the person of 21 year old Marquis 'Kiki' Fantroy.

Fantroy was only a few minutes from her home in the early morning hours of July 31 when she was shot multiple times at 4:30 AM EDT in the area of Southwest 224th Street and 115th Court in southwest Miami-Dade County.

She was taken to a nearby hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

Fantroy was the 13th trans woman who has been murdered in the US this year.   She is the 9th to die that was under age 30.   Even more infuriating, all of the  transgender women killed so far in the US in 2019 have been African American..

At this time no arrests have been made, nor is there a suspect of person of interest in this case.  Fantroy's mother and other loved ones suspect Kiki  may have been killed because she was trans.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. A reward of up to $3,000 is offered for information that leads to an arrest.  At this time there is also no word on whether there is a memorial vigil being planned by the local Miami area trans community

Rest in power and peace, Kiki.   You will be missed by all who loved you.  We also will not rest until the person or persons who killed you are captured and brought to justice.   

Number 18- Rest In Power Vontashia Bell

As I stated when I wrote the post earlier this morning about the murder of one of our trans sisters in Chicago, I was hoping we would get through this month without any trans murders. 

Now I'm saddened to discover that we've had two on the same day this month within hours of each other.

We travel now to Shreveport, LA to discuss our 18th victim of anti-trans violence.

She is 18 year old Vontashia Bell.    Police responding to a shots fired call early Thursday morning found her lying in the street at the corner of Harrison Street and Linwood Avenue in the Cedar Park neighborhood suffering from gunshot wounds to the chest and wrist.

She was rushed to University Health Hospital where she later died from her wounds. 

The reason we're just now finding out about it?   It's because once again, the police and the local Shreveport media didn't value her Black trans life and misgendered the victim   

We in Black Trans World are really getting sick and tired of being sick and tired of our sisters being disrespected in death.   We are tired of being misgendered either by law enforcement or the media, or both entities, and it needs to stop.

There are no suspects at this time, and police are asking anyone with information to contact Shreveport Police Investigators at 318-673-6955. Those wishing to remain anonymous should call 318-673-7373, lockemup.org, or via their app P3Tips. Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000.00 reward for information leading to the arrest of the individual(s) responsible for this crime.

Bell is sadly the youngest person we have lost to anti-trans violence in 2018.  She is the 18th trans person murdered in the United States in 2018, and the 14th African American trans person we have lost to anti-trans violence.   What pisses me off in addition to the media misgendering of her is that she is now the ninth trans person under age 30 we have lost to anti-trans violence 

A statement about the murder was released by Louisiana Trans Advocates.

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Statement from Louisiana Trans Advocates on the Murder of Vontashia Bell

Shreveport, LA – August 30, 2018 Earlier today in Shreveport, a young transgender woman was murdered. She is sadly not the first transgender woman of color to be killed in Louisiana this year. Violence against trans people, particularly against trans women, is a plague that continues to affect our cities and communities across the state. City and state leadership must work together with the trans community to curb this violence. Vontashia Bell must not die in vain. Her murder is a reminder of the current climate and national discourse on trans issues. Dehumanizing language and actions lower the barriers to this kind of senseless violence. Shreveport and Louisiana leaders must speak out against these killings, against the ongoing, systemic devaluation of trans people that pervades our media and politics, and against the institutional racism that places almost all of this burden on trans women of color. 

Her murder is a reminder of the current climate and national discourse on trans issues. Dehumanizing language and actions lower the barriers to this kind of senseless violence. Shreveport and Louisiana leaders must speak out against these killings, against the ongoing, systemic devaluation of trans people that pervades our media and politics, and against the institutional racism that places almost all of this burden on trans women of color. As we mourn the loss of Vontashia, we must double down our efforts to ensure that all trans people across the state have access to jobs, education, housing, and safe neighborhoods. Rest in power, sister.

***
As of right now, no word about a memorial service or arrangements.

Rest in power and peace, Vontashia.  Your trans family won't rest until the person who took your all too brief life is brought to justice.

   

Number 13- Rest In Power and Peace Cathalina Christina James

We have lost our thirteenth person to anti-trans violence, and for the third time this year it happened in Jacksonville, FL.

She is 24 year old Cathalina Christina James.  She is originally from Sumter, SC, but according to her Facebook page was in the process of moving to New York. 

After the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office responded to a 1 PM EDT call Sunday at the Quality Inn located in the 8300 block of Dix Ellis Trail, James was found deceased from a gunshot wound in her third floor motel room by emergency responders.

The hotel was ironically located across the street from the JSO District 3 substation.

The only information so far concerning a possible suspect in this murder case is that a male was spotted driving a beige vehicle.

Cathalina is not only the 13th person killed this year and the third in Jacksonville alone, she is the seventh African American trans and GNC person we have lost to anti trans violence this year.

And what continues to sadden and infuriate me is that she was under 30 years of age.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is looking for any information that will help solve this case.  I you saw something, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477) or JSO's non-emergency line at (904) 630-0500.

If you saw something, no matter how minor you think it is, call JSO so we can bring the perpetrator of this crime to justice.   As of yet no word on a vigil or memorial service for Cathalina, but will pass that info also as I receive it.

There will be a Trans Lives Matter event sponsored by local activists at the Duval County Courthouse tomorrow at 7 PM EDT.   Hope those of you in the Jacksonville area will consider attending it.

Rest in power and peace Cathalina.   You barely got a chance to enjoy your life before it was taken from you.  Your trans and GNC siblings will not only continue to remind people that your Black trans life mattered, we won't rest until your killer is behind bars

Lake County, FL Needs Help With This Trans Cold Case Death

Back in 1988, the body of a trans woman was found decomposing in the woods in the Four Corners area along County Road 474.   Julie Doe as they call her was found wearing a greenish tank top, a long acid washed jean skirt with partially pulled down pantyhose.

Julie Doe also had breast implants,long dyed blonde hair, long manicured nails, was estimated to be between 24-33  years of age and was 5 feet 11.  At the time her remains were tested, the result indicated she was a cis woman who had given birth to one or more children.  

Julie Doe's remains were recently retested as part of a Florida initiative to revist cold cases, and with the new forensic technology gave the result she was a trans feminine woman.

Items of clothing found with Julie Doe's body were send to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement lab in Tallahassee, and  Detective Tamara Dale is hoping that once the results come back in several weeks, it will lead to clues that will help them generate leads in the case.

"I'm hoping their will be foreign DNA on her clothing and if so interview that person as someone who would have had contact with Julie near the time of her death," said Detective Dale in an Orlando Sentinel interview

She also hoping that the renewed interest in the case generates leads that will identify who she is.

"I would love to identify Julie so she can have a proper burial and so her friends and family can have closure on their missing loved one," said Detective Dale.  "I don't think anyone should have o lie unidentified in a laboratory while their family wonders what happened to them."

If you have any information concerning this case, please call the Lake County, FL Sheriff's office at 352-343-2101 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477