The Murder of Keyshia Blige (UNSOLVED)

On March 7, 2015 thirty-three-year old transgender woman Keyshia Blige was murdered in Chicago, Illinois while driving with a twenty-one-year old male friend. Keyshia, a performer who gravitated towards songs by Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston with some modern hits by Ariana Grande and Beyonce had begun medically transitioning from male-to-female in January of that year and was described by friend, Sasha Love as "the happiest I had ever seen her once she started transitioning".

Despite being murdered in March of that year, it took months for LGBT groups to take notice, as police and local media deadnamed Blige and referred to her by male pronouns. Another report still referred to Keyshia by her given name and pronouns; however they stated that she then-recently started taking hormones to live as a woman. It wasn't until close friend, Sasha Love went to The Guardian with claims that Blige was in fact transgender and was using female pronouns at the time of her death, that LGBT groups began to notice.

Keyshia who was driving the car on the 200 block of LaSalle Street when she was struck in the shoulder by several bullets, was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. Her friend survived after she tried driving to the hospital once struck, however she collided with a Jeep en route to said hospital. Her Navy Blue car crashed into a parking lot, where paramedics found her and took her to the hospital. Neither the car nor the friend were injured. Media relations manager for the Aurora Police Department, Dan Ferrelli issued a statement saying they are not investigating Blige's death as a hate crime but are investigating other potential leads. They have yet to confirm what these leads are but are saying that the shooting was "not random".

Friends and family say she was friendly to the male passenger; giving him a ride when asked the night before. The friends later said that this was symbolic of the kind of person that she was-helping others in need.