India Clarke’s body was found on the ground near a Tampa community center on July 21. She died from a gunshot wound but had also suffered blunt force trauma to her upper body. Clarke’s name and gender were widely misreported after her death. Her suspected killer, Keith Lamayne Gaillard, was later arrested and charged with first degree murder. A witness told police that Gaillard, came to their house the day after the murder and said, “I think I killed somebody!”
Clarke, 25, was a cosmetology student about two years into her transition. Her mother Thelma remembered her as “a good-hearted person” and a “very loving person.” Her friends said that she was “always cracking jokes” and “enjoying every day.” One friend told the Tampa Bay Times, "She only wanted to be confident, to live at home, to be comfortable like everyone else, to be happy."
Mercedes Williamson, 17, was found on June 2nd buried beneath debris on the property of her accused killer’s father. She had been beaten to death. Police said that Joshua Vallum, 28, a Latin Kings gang member, confessed the murder to his father two days after it took place. At the time of her death, Williamson was living with her friend Jeanie Miller, 41, who considered the teen to be “like a daughter” to her. Miller told the Sun Herald in a heart-wrenching video interview, “I miss how she flips her hair. I miss the crooked smile, the crooked teeth, but that beautiful smile.”
To her killer, Miller demanded, “I want to know why you did it. I want to know why you took her. Why?”
Kristina Gomez Reinwald, 47, was stabbed to death and found in her home on February 15. A local TV station reported that police investigated her ex-boyfriend because there were no signs of forced entry but they do not currently have a suspect. The Human Rights Campaign described Reinwald as “a prominent transgender artist and performer in Miami,” known by her stage name Kristina Grant Infinit. One friend, Milancita Rodriguez, remembered her as “a beautiful person” and “somebody that shared whatever she [had] when somebody [needed] it.”
Anyone with information on Reinwald’s death can call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.
Taja Gabrielle DeJesus, 36, was found stabbed to death in San Francisco on February 1. Her suspected killer, James Hayes, 49, was found dead hanging from a fence less than a mile from the crime scene, leading police to believe he committed suicide after the stabbing. No new details have emerged since. The Human Rights Campaign notes that DeJesus was a volunteer at a shelter for homeless transgender people. Her mother Pamela added in The Chronicle that she was an active churchgoer and food pantry volunteer.
“Taja was beautiful inside and out,” she said. “She was a rock for our family.”
Anyone with information on DeJesus’ death can contact the San Francisco Police Department at (415) 575-4444.
London Chanel, 21, was stabbed to death on May 18 in Philadelphia and Raheam Felton, 31, reportedly confessed to the crime the same day. In court this June, as the Philadelphia Inquirer reports, Felton’s girlfriend testified that she had accused him of “sexually touching [Chanel]” and that he proceeded to attack the young transgender women shortly thereafter.
Chanel’s friend told an NBC affiliate, “She had a heart of gold. She hardly ever frowned. She always had a smile on her face. Her laughter was infectious.”
Lamia Beard, 30, died in a Norfolk, Virginia hospital on January 17 from gunshot wounds. Police found her at 4 AM that morning in response to a 911 call. Within a day of Beard’s death, one local media outlet salaciously insinuated that she may be a sex worker, writing that “[t]ransgender prostitutes are known to frequent the stretch of commercial and industrial buildings where Beard was killed.” According to an AlterNet interview, Beard’s family bristled at this portrayal. Beard spoke French fluently and played the oboe, piccolo, and flute. She attended Norfolk State University for music education but dropped out after her sophomore year. Before her death, she had been struggling to find work because of her transgender identity.
“Lamia was very simple,” Parker said. “She just wanted to get her life together.”
Anyone with information on Beard’s death can contact the Norfolk Crime Line at 1 (888) LOCK-U-UP.
The body of Shade Schuler, 22, was found in a field by Dallas on July 29. Decomposition was so severe that Dallas police did not identify her until August 9. Despite confirmation that Schuler was transgender, the Dallas Police Department referred to her as “a Black male.” Schuler’s cousin told The Guardian, “I never thought this would happen to anybody connected to me in the family.” No further details have emerged in connection with her apparent murder.
Anyone with information on Schuler’s death can contact Crime Stoppers at (214) 373-TIPS.
On February 10, 21-year old New Orleans resident Penny Proud died after being shot several times in what authorities suspect was an attempt to rob her. As the Times-Picayune reported, police believe that at least two men were involved in the homicide. Her murder later prompted a New Orleans youth activist group to put up a billboard in her honor over the Broad Street bridge. “Invest in jobs, housing, and education to keep us safe,” the billboard read, next to the hashtag #BlackTransLivesMatter.
Anyone with information on Proud’s death can contact Crime Stoppers at (504) 822-1111.
