Born on this day in 1975, Taja Gabrielle DeJesus, an activist at Trans Thrive, a non-profit community center in San Francisco was very vocal about issues in the transgender community such as health and disparity. Described by Trans Thrive program manager, Nikki Calma as "always very bubbly and outspoken" Taja was "always the first to volunteer" going on to say "she just wanted to participate in everything." Nikki ends her statement by saying "She (DeJesus) was well-known and will definitely be missed." On February 1, 2015 Taja was found in a Bayview stairwell, murdered by stab wounds on the 1400 block of McKinnon Avenue at nine a.m. in San Francisco, California.
Taja was born in San Jose, California but later moved to San Francisco due to its more accepting nature of LGBT people. Her sister Erika says this was due to "the streets and dance clubs were more tolerant." Described by mother Pamela as "a strong-willed and giving young woman", DeJesus was active as a volunteer at a Bayview church and food pantry in addition to her work with Trans Thrive.
A fiery and independent person, DeJesus filled out the paperwork at age fifteen-years old to get a job; taking the train without permission to San Francisco just to work. Taja, a music lover, used her earnings to buy her first stereo, a stereo in which would always play either Prince or Madonna.Police suspect Taja's boyfriend, forty-nine-year old James Hayes of committing the murder, a motive which remains unknown. Unfortunately he committed suicide days later by hanging. James was located a half mile away from where Taja was found, hanging from his neck on a fence behind a warehouse. San Francisco Police Department spokesman, Albie Esparza isn't saying much about the case, except for that they're not ruling it a hate crime.
With all of this being said, Trans True Crime asks "Is Taja's case technically solved?"
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