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.