The Murder of Keke Collier (UNSOLVED)

Keke Collier was a twenty-four-year old transgender woman who was killed on February 21, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois's Englewood neighborhood. Keke also went by the name Tiara Richmond. Collier was found in the street and taken to Advocate Christ Hospital, where she later died.

According to witnesses who spoke with activist Shasha Lauren, they saw Keke get into a car with a man who later shot her. Police commented on these reports; saying that there is currently no known reason for the murder and that they are investigating.

The Murder of JoJo Striker (UNSOLVED)

JoJo Striker was a twenty-three-year old transgender woman who was killed on February 8, 2017 in Toldeo, Ohio from a single gunshot wound to the torso. She was found in an empty garage on Austin Street in North Toledo.

The victim's mother, Shanda Striker believes the murder was not random and that it was a hate crime. Police believe that JoJo's criminal past may have been an aspect of her murder.

The Murder of Mesha Caldwell (UNSOLVED)

Mesha Caldwell was a forty-one-year old transgender hairstylist and makeup artist who was killed on January 4, 2017 in Canton, Mississippi.

Mesha was shot multiple times, although where and with what caliber of weapon is unknown. Her body was found shortly after death on Heindl Road near Old Yazoo City Road in Madison County.

Caldwell was described as a "kind and popular person".

The Thirty Year Anniversary of Venus Xtravaganza's Murder

Thirty years ago today, December 21, 1988 a petite transsexual named Venus Xtravaganza was snubbed from the world after being killed by a client while working as an escort. Venus, later made famous by the documentary, Paris is Burning was not known to the world then but would later become an icon for her reads "You wanna talk about reading?" and "You're just an overgrown orangutan" featured in the aforementioned film. Happier times for a hopeful pre-operative transsexual with dreams of becoming a professional model, Venus was immortalized on screen as a murder victim in a case that's still unsolved.

After escaping a violent john while street hustling, Venus went to work for a friend's escort service described by a couple of other friends as "an abandoned building with a phone line put in it" that was ran by an "old fat tranny". The madam most likely spoke to the killer hours before Venus' murder; setting up a call for early December 21st at a seedy hourly hotel (which is still open to this day). Venus had plans to meet a family friend for brunch that same day, but never showed up. She was most likely dead at this point; rumors swirling that she either was caught stealing money from a client or wanted more drugs; views that differ from the typical liberal left that believes she was killed over being transgender, despite openly advertising as pre-operative.

Xtravaganza had a rough life; getting into drugs around the age of thirteen starting off with weed and acid before getting deeper into cocaine after the unrelated murder of her boyfriend, Rico, just eight months before she was killed. Rico (last name unknown at the time of this writing) was a bisexual "gay for pay" adult film actor with a penchant for cocaine; forcing Venus to escort frequently to afford more cocaine. After a drug deal gone wrong on April 22 in Times Square, Rico was shot in the chest by an "older African-American female drug dealer" "tall and wearing a long brown coat". The two had a disagreement that escalated over Rico's coke being cut with baking soda. Venus hid behind a car after Rico warned her the talk could get ugly. She raced out to his side after he was shot; scaring off the drug dealer. Venus laid on Rico's chest as he bled to death in the streets. Times Square was not then how we know now. It was cold and dark, with few people out unless they were engaging in similar behaviors.

Rico's death left Venus feeling helpless, as he had saved her from a potential fight in Times Square years earlier. Cocaine was what kept them together in the end, and what tore them apart; also possibly playing a factor in Venus' untimely death. She was strangled at the hotel before being stuffed under the bed. She was found four days later by a housekeeper. The murder remains unsolved.  

The Murder of India Monroe (UNSOLVED)

India Monroe was a twenty-nine-year old transgender woman who was killed on December 21, 2016 in Newport News, Virginia by multiple gunshot wounds, when someone may have come into her and her partner's home. Her partner, thirty-seven-year old, Mark Gray, was also shot but it is unknown if he survived. There was no sign of forced entry, so police are ruling the incident domestic and not a hate crime.

Unfortunately according to friend, Magen Shannel, on January 3, 2017 at India's funeral she was mistreated when she, an obvious transgender woman, was dressed as male with her hair cut and wearing a suit, along with gloves on her hands (most likely to cover a manicure gotten before death). High school acquaintance, Brittany Marquis said of the mistreatment of India that "I know for a fact Monroe would not want to be buried that way" going on to say "She'd want to have her nails done, hair done, looking amazing, because that's what she liked."

Friend, William Bailey said of Monroe that he believes she identified as female since at least 2009 but wasn't sure when she first began to transition from male to female. Marquis says that she isn't sure that the petite 5'2" tall India was out to all of her family members.

The Murder of Noony Norwood (UNSOLVED)

Noony Norwood was a thirty-year old transgender woman who was killed on November 5, 2016 in Richmond, Virginia. She was killed by gunshot five days after her thirtieth birthday; dying the day after being shot.

Noony was found dead at the 2700 block of Hull Street in Richmond, Virginia's South side. A man seen near the area is of interest to police, with an image of the man being released. Although grainy, investigators hope to get an enhanced version of the photo to distribute, in the hopes of bringing him in for questioning. The man is described as: Black, thirty to forty years old, 6'2" to 6'4", and weighing approximately 290 pounds.

Zakia McKensey, Director of Nationz Foundation, was a close friend of Norwood's; calling her "daughter", common in the drag community when there is a "mother-daughter style" mentorship. This was so because according to Zakia, Noony had just begun her transition from male to female through wearing women's clothing full-time; entertaining at home but McKensey is unsure if Noony wanted to begin a career as an entertainer outside of her home. The two met fourteen years prior to Norwood's murder, when Norwood was looking for drag advice, not in regards to performing, more so just in general. 

The Murder of Brandi Bledsoe (SOLVED)

Brandi Bledsoe was a thirty-two-year old transgender woman originally from Nebraska who was killed on October 8 or 12, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Brandi was found dead in a driveway behind a home on Drexel Avenue near East 108th Street in Cleveland. Her body, clad only in underwear with plastic bags covering her head and hands, was discovered by two brothers; one five years of age and the other being twelve years of age, as the rode their bikes in the neighborhood. The official cause of death was listed as a gunshot wound to the chest; it is still unclear as to why her face and hands were covered.

Two Bedford Heights people were charged with Bledsoe's murder; surrendering to police although a motive for the homicide is still not known. The two individuals are a twenty-nine-year old transgender woman, Michelle Cole and thirty-year old genetic female, Heidi Krudy.

Brandi worked a day job at Home Depot but aspired to be an artist, her specialty being animation.

The Murder of Jazz Alford (SOLVED)

Jazz Alford was a thirty-year old transgender woman who was killed on September 23, 2016 at the Kings Inn, in Birmingham, Alabama. She pulled into the motel after car trouble forced her to stay in the city for the night, as she was traveling to meet a transgender friend, Toya Milan. Toya believes that prostitution played a role in Jazz's death; implying Alford was an escort, however reports state that Alford worked as a reservation agent for U.S. Airways.

Jazz was found dead on the floor in her motel room, shot multiple times. On May 5, 2017 twenty-two-year old, Denzell Thomas was indicted for the murder of Alford as well as attempted murder and first-degree robbery in another case, most likely of another transgender victim, who survived.

According to an anonymous friend, Jazz traveled a lot; enjoying visiting Atlanta, Georgia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the most. She was also a very spiritual person who enjoyed to sing.

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.

DNA Doe Project Launches Subdivision, Trans Doe Task Force

On September 14, 2018 at 12:25 AM the Facebook page for Trans Doe Task Force went live. The task force is a division of the DNA Doe Project, a not-for-profit which uses genealogy testing to identify victims of: homicide, auto accidents, etc. After they announced that they would be working on the Julie Doe case, an unidentified transgender homicide victim from Florida, activist Lincoln Rose got in contact with Margaret Press (co-founder of DNA Doe Project).

Lincoln is an advocate and activist with Trans Cold Cases, an initiative which seeks to highlight transgender victims of homicide, that often go unnoticed. Through Rose's research, he has found that an alarming number of transgender homicide victims aren't recognized, as they are often misgendered by law enforcement; causing the exact number of trans homicides; particularly ones that are unsolved, to "slip through the cracks".

It is unknown the exact conversation exchanged between Press and Lincoln; however the Trans Doe Task Force most likely arose out of said conversation, after Rose had concerns about the exact reporting of gender and naming (posted on one of DDP's statuses), if Julie happens to be identified soon, along with other trans victims.

Trans Doe Task Force will most likely be handling the Julie Doe case as well as: Markham Ontario Doe, Dane County Doe, and Ocean Parkway Doe, although an exact list of cases have not been published at the time of this writing.

For more information, give them a like on Facebook at Trans Doe Task Force