People we have lost since the 2005 TDOR as a result of anti-transgender hatred or prejudice
Rani
Location: Calcutta, India
Cause of death: Blunt force trauma
Date of death: November 20, 2005
Rani, a young hijra from north Calcutta, had been left to live
separate from her family, and usually slept on the pavement. Her
killers found her asleep, dropped a heavy stone on her head, and left
her to die. She died from injuries from this blow.
Vanessa Facen
Location: San Diego, California, U.S.A.
Date of death: November 21, 2005
Cause of death: Stopped breathing during a melee with sheriff's deputies
Facen, 35, was in the custody of San Diego police after being found
naked and bleeding inside her neighbor's home on November 17th. While
it is unclear as to why Facen became violent while in police custody,
signs indicate that it was her treatment by officers -- who insisted
on treating her as male while in custody -- that contributed to her
actions.
Unknown person wearing womens' clothing
Location: Northridge, California, U.S.A.
Cause of death: Beat to death with a garden hoe by John Freeman
Date of death: November 27, 2005
The victim, 31, was at Freeman's house when neighbors reported
hearing a heated argument. She was allegedly attacked by John
Freeman, who struck her with his fists, feet, and a hoe. Freeman had
a casual relationship with the victim prior to the murder.
Simone Walton
Location: Oak Cliff, Texas, U.S.A.
Cause of death: Shot to death
Date of death: December 4, 2005
Walton, a forty year old, died shortly after midnight in the 3200
block of Linfield Road in east Oak Cliff.
Roberta Oliveira
Location: Milan, Italy
Cause of death: Stuck by a car
Date of death: December 8, 2005
Oliveira was a twenty eight year old Brazilian transgender woman
living in Italy. She was deliberately struck by a vehicle.
Paulina (Juan Pablo Méndez Cartagena)
Location: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Cause of death: Shot to death
Date of death: December 18, 2005
Paulina worked for Integral Sexuality AIDS Support Organisation
(OASIS). She was in Guatemala city with a second transwoman when
four men on motorbikes, wearing police uniforms, ordered them to stop
-- then shot both of them. Paulina was shot twice in the head, and
died minutes later. Sulma, the other victim, survived three gunshot
wounds.
Alexis (Brandon) L. King
Location: Nicetown, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Cause of death: Shot to death
Date of death: February 3, 2006
King, 21, was shot to death in the pre-dawn hours of February 2nd by
Terron Oates who was found by police at the scene. Oates confessed to
the murder.
Tiffany Berry
Location: Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.A.
Cause of death: Shot 3 times
Date of death: February 9, 2006
Twenty one year old Tiffany Berry, identified as a pre-operative
transsexual, was shot and killed at the Camelot Manor Apartments in
South Memphis. While investigators have said this was a robbery
homicide, Berry's purse was wound, intact, with her body. Police
claim that Berry's transgender status had nothing at all to do with
the murder, while others outside of law enforcement disagree. Anyone
with information in this case is asked to call Memphis Police
Homicide at 545-5300.
Yardena Marsh
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Cause of death: Shot to death
Date of death: February 15, 2006
Yardena Marsh, the first known Israeli to have genital reassignment
surgery, was found dead by her sister in Marsh's Tel Aviv apartment.
Her confessed killer, Ze'ev Bisso, initially claimed that his gun had
accidently fired and struck Marsh.
Gisberta Salce Junior
Location: Porto, Portugal
Cause of death: Beaten and stoned to death
Date of Death: February 22, 2006
Gisberta was a homeless transgender woman who had been living in a
shelter for many months. Her death was a violent one, lasting for
several days as she was repeatedly beaten, sodomized with sticks,
burned, kicked, stabbed, and stoned by a group of up to fourteen
teenagers. After she expired, they dumped her into a ditch.
Melissa "Mo" Green
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.
Cause of death: Shot to death
Date of death: March 21, 2006
Twenty-two year old Melissa Green was shot from behind, by a single
bullet, in what seems like a planned killing. She bled to death from
her injuries before paramedics arrived on scene. Anyone with
information in this case is asked to call Phoenix police at (602)
262-6141, or Silent Witness at 1-800-343-TIPS. There is a $2,000
reward being offered for information leading to an arrest of
indictment of the murderer.
Rupesh Mandal
Location: Mahotari district, Nepal
Cause of death: Suffocated
Date of death: March 30, 2006
Rupesh was a thirteen year old transgender girl living in the
Mahotari district of Nepal. Rupesh's father, Tapeshore Mandal, had
banished her after discovering that she was going to meetings of the
Blue Diamond Society, the only organization in Nepal for sexual
minorities. While she did rejoin the family after promising to stop
going to the BDS, her father continued to abuse and neglect her, and
said that he would kill her unless she stopped presenting herself as
female. Her mother found her body. The father claimed that she had
poisoned herself, but a most-mortem indicated that she died of
suffocation, not poisoning.
Alfred Dibble
Location: Stockton, California, U.S.A.
Cause of death: Beaten to death
Date of death: May 20, 2006
Dibble was a 34 year old nurse. was severely beaten and left to die
on the corner of Miner Avenue and Sierra Nevada Street in Stockton,
California. Dibble died from injuries sustained in the beating while
at a stockton hospital. Anyone with information in this case is asked
to call either Detective Robert MacDonald or Detective Ed Rodriguez
of the Stockton Police Department at (209) 937-8323
Sudha, aka Lakshmi
Location: Tiruchy, India
Cause of death: Throat slit; also multiple stab wounds to the genitals
Date of death: May 26, 2006
Sudha was a transgender sex worker in India. She was picked up at the
Central Bus Stand on May 25, and her and a male, likely her murderer,
checked in at a private lodge. She was found there, in a pool of
blood, after her throat was slit, and after several cuts to the
genitals. Police suspect that Pandian of Taranallur was her killer.
Barbara (Geovanny) Calderon
Location: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Cause of death: Drive-by shooting
Date of death: June 10, 2006
Calderon, a Honduran, was murdered in a drive-by shooting attack,
part of a string of violent acts against sex-workers and transgender
people in Guatemala. Two other transgender women, and one gay male,
were injured in the attack.
Lupita (Juan Carlos Charria)
Location: Gardolo-Trento, Italy
Cause of death: Stabbed multiple times, allegedly by Engjell Ndreca
Date of death: July 29, 2006
Lupita, a twenty nine year old Colombian, was a sex worker in Italy.
A client of her's, Engjell Ndreca, is believed to have stabbed her
five times. When captured by police, he nitially claimed Lupita was
his "boyfriend" and that she was HIV-positive, but several
contradictions have appeared within his story.
Lezlie Anne Field
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Cause of death: Multiple gunshot wounds
Date of death: August 2, 2006
Field, a thirty one yer old transsexual American living and working
in Thailand, was initially believed by police to have committed
suicied in the apartment she shared with a Thai friend. The suicide
note left with her appeared to be a forgery, and was not written by
Field.
Mikey Vallejo-Seiber
Location: Riverside, California, U.S.A.
Cause of death: Internal injuries, allegedly by Alex Mendoza
Date of death: August 15, 2006
Vallejo-Seiber was a three year old who was repeatedly called a
"sissy" by his father, Alex Mendoza. Mendoza also often slapped his
son in an effort to "toughen him up," and urged him to beat up on
Vallejo-Seiber's Elmo doll. Mikey Vallejo-Seiber died in a local
hospital from internal injuries sustained from being kicked, punched,
and dropped on his head. He was in Mendoza's care at the time. His
mother Pamela Seiber, pleaded guilty to child endangerment and was
sentences to six years in prison. Mendoza has entered a plea of not
guilty.
Edgar Cano Camacho
Location: Milan, Italy
Cause of death: Stabbed multiple times
Date of death: October 19, 2006
Camacho was a forty one year old Peruvian living in Italy. She died
in her home after being repeatedly stabbed in the face.