The Murder of Crystal Edmonds (UNSOLVED)

Crystal Edmonds was a thirty-two-year old transgender woman who was murdered on September 16, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. She was shot twice in the back of the head. Residents in the 3600 Block of Fairview Avenue in northwest Baltimore heard the gunshots at about 3:18 AM; calling police. Police responded; taking Crystal to the hospital, where she later died from her injuries.

No suspects have been located at this time and there have been very few leads; however investigators believe the case may be related to prostitution, as the area where Edmonds was found had some complaints from residents, with resident Sandra Johnson saying, (paraphrased) "It's terrible around here late at night. They're all around here and in my back alley, everywhere."

The Murder of T.T. Saffore (UNSOLVED)

T.T. Saffore was a twenty-eight-year old transgender woman who was murdered on September 11, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. T.T. was found on the West Side of Chicago lying next to train tracks with multiple stab wounds to her body. A knife, believed to be the murder weapon, was found nearby.

It is believed that another unnamed trans woman may be the killer, as friend of Saffore's said in a statement, "Three days before her death she got into an altercation with another trans woman on Madison." going on to say "The girl pulled a knife on her and said "I'm going to get you killed."" T.T. didn't report the incident to the police out of fear of being mistreated for being transgender, with the friend, Jaliyah Armstrong saying "People don't know what we go through out here. I just want justice for my friend. Trans lives matter. She is the third person killed around here and there is nothing done about it."

Jaliyah remembers Saffore as a "happy, cheerful person" saying (paraphrased) "You could be going through a bad day, but once you saw her all of that would change."

The Murder of Rae'Lynn Thomas (SOLVED)

Rae'Lynn Thomas was a twenty-eight-year old transgender woman who was murdered on August 10, 2016 in Columbus, Ohio by James Allen Byrd, the long-time boyfriend of Rae'Lynn's mother. She was described as "the entertainer of the family"; being the life of every party.

On August 10, 2016, for unknown reasons, James shot Rae'Lynn multiple times then continued by beating her to death, all in front of her mother. He was arrested but was proven incompetent to stand trial, so he was sentenced by Judge Guy Reece of Franklin County in Ohio, to serve one year in a psychiatric hospital, until a treatment believed to be able to fix him, will take effect. Since I haven't been able to find recent reports about the case from this or last year, I believe the treatment(s) did not work; so Byrd is most likely still in the mental hospital.

Despite the psychiatric ward sentencing, the Thomas family believes that James is pretending to be mentally unstable; claiming he "knew exactly what he was doing". The family is hoping a hate crime charge can be filed; however hate crime protections for LGBT people in Ohio does not exist.

Was Skye Mockabee Murdered?

Skye Mockabee was a twenty-six-year old transgender woman who was found dead on August 1, 2016 at eight a.m. in the parking lot of granite and stone products store, Ecclesiastic Granite Fab by the owner, located on West 130th Street in Cleveland, Ohio. Skye was found lying face down and bleeding from her: eyes, nose, and mouth. She had a bruise near her right eyebrow, a small cut and bruise on her nose, and a bruise in the middle of her forehead. She also had scrapes on her left forearm and on each of the heels of her feet. According to the medical examiner's office, Mockabee was not wearing any shoes and only had on one sock. They also noted that both of the bottoms of her feet were dirty.

Toxicology reports show that she took a lethal dose of cocaine the night before her body was discovered. The trauma above her left eye was noted as being minor. Her death is not being investigated as a homicide; however it is still ongoing. Despite this, Skye's family believes that she was murdered because of the fact that she was transgender. Perhaps she may have been forced to use large amounts of cocaine resulting in an overdose to mask an actual homicide? Mockabee's live-in boyfriend says that she went out with a man that she met on July 31st. Maybe this man discovered that she was transgender and didn't care for it, for whatever reason? Seems like a bit of a stretch to me. Personally I believe that the victim was an addict who may have overdosed on her own, not necessarily suicide, but maybe she died with the man she met on July 31st and he never reported it; dumping her body at the granite/stone products store?

The Murder of Dee Whigham (SOLVED)

Dee Whigham was a twenty-five-year old transgender nurse who was murdered on July 23, 2016 at a hotel in St. Martin, Mississippi by twenty-three-year old, Dwanya Hickerson.

From what I've read I believe Dwanya used the trans-panic defense method for his crime against Dee; stabbing her one-hundred-ninety times after having anal sex with her. He claimed he "didn't know" she was transgender; however unless she was post-operative, how could he not have known? Evidence shows he burned Whigham's cellphone before dumping it in a fire pit at a beach in Biloxi. Since investigators couldn't find any interaction between the two prior to the day Dee was killed, they could not prove a "heat of passion" case against Hickerson; in what would have yielded a stronger sentence of manslaughter in the state of Mississippi.

While some believe Dwanya's sentence of only thirty-five years for the murder and eight years for robbery is "too small", District Attorney, Tony Lawrence explains that if convicted of manslaughter in the case of Dee Whigham, Dwanya would have only been sentenced to twenty years in prison, only to be released after ten years. Even a simple murder conviction would still allow him to petition the court to be released from prison as early as the age of fifty-five-years old. The number of stab wounds is a proof of murder, but not manslaughter due to Mississippi's "heat of passion" rule for determining said crime. Going with the murder charge ensures Hickerson will be in prison until the age of sixty-years old. In other words, concerns prosecutors had was that every piece of evidence could be argued either way; resulting in a prosecution of a lesser charge or even an acquittal.

Prosecutors subpoenaed Dee's: phone records, emails, and iCloud pages; however all they could find to prove that the two had been communicating long before the murder, may have occurred on a private messaging app, which cannot be traced. All they could find were messages between the two the day of the murder. Statements from witnesses knew Whigham but did not show that they knew Dee and Dwanya had a previous relationship. The burning of Whigham's cellphone could have been the "smoking gun" to show previous messages between the two. However I feel that the amount of stab wounds and the fact that the phone was destroyed by Hickerson proved to the judge that they knew each other longer than he let on; allowing for the harsher sentence.

The Murder of Deeniquia Dodds (SOLVED)

Deeniquia "Dee Dee" Dodds was a twenty-two-year old transgender woman who was working as a prostitute. She was shot by three men on July 4, 2016; dying nine days later from her injuries at a hospital in Washington, D.C.. The motive for the crime was robbery at the hands of: Jalonte Little, Monte T. Johnson, and Cyheme Hall. A hate crime charge was also issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office; however the lawyer for Cyheme Hall believes the hate crime charge is a "leap" considering he found no information in the initial statements that the victim, as well as other transgender women targeted by the men, were put in harms way because of their gender identity. Johnson's attorney declined to comment, while Little's attorney was not immediately available.

According to a ten-page indictment, three men riding in a white Pontiac spotted Deeniquia on the 200 Block of Division Street NE at three a.m. After robbing her of small items such as: cellphones, earphones, and Metro cards, Dodds was shot in the neck.

Addition of the hate crime charges could alter a sixty year sentence for first-degree murder while armed to ninety years in prison. A fourth person, not listed in the indictment, Shareem Hall of District Heights, Maryland had a hearing scheduled for May 2017. Cyheme and Johnson, twenty-one-years old and Jalonte Little, twenty-six-years old faced formal charges in Superior Court in March 2017; however the outcome is unknown.

The Murder of Goddess Diamond (UNSOLVED)

Goddess Diamond is a nickname given to a transgender woman who died from blunt-force trauma before being burned in a car fire. Media reports list her given name and by male pronouns. Her chosen name is unknown, so trans writer, Venus Selenite gave the victim the first name "Goddess" until her chosen name becomes known.

Diamond was a twenty-year old transgender woman who worked at retail giant, Walmart, in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was murdered in New Orleans on June 5, 2016 in a homicide with no clear motive. No hate crime has been issued by police. Family of the victim remember her as "kind and loving" going on to say "she had a big heart". Friend and co-worker, George Melichar said of his late friend that she was "very loved" and "very kind"; only making her death harder saying "In addition to losing a friend, we lost an LGBT leader." Prior to her murder, Goddess had lived in Georgia; staying there to escape the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. She had only recently returned to Louisiana for unknown reasons.

The Murder of Mercedes Successful (UNSOLVED)

Mercedes Successful was a thirty-two-year old recently-out transgender woman who had begun hormone replacement therapy one month before being murdered on May 15, 2016 in Haines City, Florida. Successful, a native of Kingston, Jamaica came to America, originally settling in New York before re-locating to central Florida.

She worked as a performer, remembered by friends as "a big girl who often did demanding stunts, such as handstands during her shows". The music she performed was personal to her; being that it was inspired by the Caribbean. With that being said she represented her country as a competitor in the 2014 Miss Gay Caribbean USA pageant; donning a Jamaican flag dress and high-heeled black boots. A true entertainer, Mercedes took the initiative to sew her own costumes and create her own accessories as well as always greeting the other performers and ask them how they were doing. A friend elaborated, "She never seemed to be caught up in any sort of ruckus or discourse."

The opposite took place on May 15, 2016 behind a Haines City Big Lots and Tractor Supply Co. parking lot. Successful, clad in: a t-shirt, shorts, and sneakers, she had been shot to death in a homicide that is still unsolved. The Haines City Police Department were the first on the scene; ruling it a homicide but have not stated a motive for murder. A hate crime is not believed to be the reason for her death.

The Murder of Tyreece Walker (SOLVED)

Tyreece Walker was a thirty-two-year old transgender woman who was murdered on May 1, 2016 in her apartment in Wichita, Kansas. Tyreece worked the front desk at the complex on the 2500 block of W. Wildwood where she lived and was ultimately murdered. According to a friend only identified as Victoria, Walker aspired to get a college degree in either psychology or social work, so that she could become a counselor, to help others with similar issues that she faced.

On May 1, 2016 at 9:50 PM officers were called to investigate a reported disturbance at South Richmond Avenue and Wildwood Lane in Wildwood Park. Upon entering Tyreece's apartment, police found her body inside, dead from apparent stab wounds. Two days later a sixteen-year old boy was charged with the murder, with police saying they do not believe that a hate crime occurred due to their investigation uncovering the crime was not motivated by bias. Police are also investigating claims that Walker attempted to sexually assault the minor. A friend of the victim's said that the attempted sexual assault allegation by the suspect's family were completely false and that it was "out-of-character" for Tyreece.

The friend states that Walker had been getting harassed by residents of the apartment complex and Wichita residents in general; even going as far as to leave items at her door. Social media posts by people claiming to have known Tyreece say that she "kept them laughing all the time". A GoFundMe page set up by the victim's friends to cover funeral costs, describe her as "a loving, playful spirit, who only wanted the best for others." going on to say "She would have given her last piece of bread to make sure others were not hungry."

In 2018 the teenager charged in the homicide was sentenced to serve time in juvenile corrections until the age of twenty-two-and-a-half years old with aftercare until age twenty-three-years old. If the teen violates his sentence or aftercare, he could face one-hundred-sixty-five months in an adult prison.

The Murder of Keyonna Blakeney (SOLVED)

Keyonna Blakeney was a twenty-two-year old transgender woman working as a prostitute at a Red Roof Inn, in Rockville, Maryland. She was murdered by Washington, D.C. residents, Keith Christopher Renier and Arbra Arine Bethea in a robbery gone wrong.

The murder occurred on April 16, 2016 in room number one-hundred-seventy four at the Red Roof Inn, in Rockville, Maryland after Arbra (who knew Keyonna) planned to rob Blakeney with Keith. Posing as a new customer, using Renier's cellphone, Bethea made several calls to Keyonna before meeting her at the hotel, a hotel which Blakeney, an escort, was using as a private place to engage in prostitution.

When Keyonna was greeted by Arbra, also seeing Keith, the robbery was initiated. Blakeney most likely fought back; being stabbed repeatedly during the process. An affidavit by Montgomery County police shows through a confidential source that Bethea and Renier are the suspects. Investigators also gathered additional evidence that the two were involved, by utilizing cellphone records and interviews with an Uber driver, who brought the two men to the hotel from Arbra's home in Southeast D.C.. The affidavit also reveals that the two men confessed to family members of the killing.

Both Arbra and Keith were charged with first degree murder in 2016; however their charges were reduced the following year due to both accepting plea deals. Keith who was twenty-two-years old at the time of the stabbing, was sentenced on August 22, 2017 to thirty years in prison for second-degree murder. Arbra, who was seventeen-years old at the time of the homicide, was sentenced on November 9, 2017 to ten years in prison for accessory to the fact second-degree murder.

The Murder of Shante Isaac (SOLVED)

Shante Isaac was a thirty-four-year old transgender woman who was murdered on April 10, 2016 in Houston, Texas. A recent friend of hers, Willie Sims, a thirty-three-year old man was also killed in the attack, which family of Isaac's believe the murder of their daughter stems from an argument Shante had with another transgender woman over a man.

On April 10, 2016 at 11:15 PM Shante and Willie were walking on 1100 Dennis Street when they were attacked by a group of people. One of those people fired a gun; hitting Sims, as he pushed Isaac out of the way. The group then pulled out metal pipes to beat the two to death.

Tariq Lackings, a twenty-three-year old man was arrested in August of that year on charges of capital murder in the death of Shante and Willie. The charge was later reduced to murder for the death of Isaac. The murder case was solved thanks to an eyewitness, Rique Jackson, who was also a member of the group who killed Shante and Willie. He states that he wanted to tell the story of what happened to "set the record straight"; however prosecutors believe he snitched on Tariq to reduce a ten-year prison sentence he was facing, to six months, for a choking incident to his mother.

Rique alleges he was living with Lackings at the time of the murders and that he (Tariq) woke him up to go pick up their friend, a transgender woman, and settle a score with Isaac over a brawl between her and the unnamed trans woman; which occurred at a McDonald's a few days earlier. Jackson continues by saying that Shante threw a bottle at the group, who then retaliated by beating her and her friend with bricks. Attorney for Tariq Lackings, Paul Morgan states that believes this not to be a hate crime, rather that Rique, a recently sober man was out of rehab and looking to get high. Paul alleges that Jackson brought a knife to what he thought was a cocaine buy. Morgan continues by stating he believes that the murders occurred between two rival groups who bought and sold drugs among themselves.

Tariq is currently awaiting his trial in Harris County Jail on a two-hundred-fifty thousand dollar bond.