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.