Remembering Our Dead: April 2017
Every year on or around 20th November people worldwide gather for the Transgender day of Remembrance to to remember the trans people we have lost to murder and violence in the past year, as reported by the Trans Murder Monitoring Project and published by Transgender Europe (TGEU).
The following are details of trans people known to have been killed worldwide during April 2017 (see TDoR 2017: Say their names. Learn their stories. Remember them for an index covering the whole year).
[TRIGGER WARNING: VIOLENCE. MURDER]
<< March 2017
Name Unknown
2 Apr 2017
Acará (Brazil)
Beaten
The victim was at a party and afterwards had an argument, allegedly with a woman or a couple. She was beaten to death.
TvT partner organisation Rede Trans Brasil & Grupo whatsapp Rede Trans Brasil/Shaylla Vilhena 02/04/2017
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/02/nao-identificada-pauladas-pa-acara/ [DEAD LINK]
Sayra Hills
3 Apr 2017
São Paulo (Brazil)
Industrial silicone
Sayra was a hairdresser. She died from medical complications after injecting industrial silicone.
Her Facebook profile is https://www.facebook.com/sayra.hills.
https:///homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/03/sayra-hills-silicone-industrial-sp-sao-paulo/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/pgmreal/permalink/1478786355527994/
Name Unknown
3 Apr 2017
Campo Grande (Brazil)
The victim was killed at around 10am, but the cause of death was not reported. Residents say that she had only lived in the area for a short time.
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/03/nao-identificada-rj-rio-de-janeiro/ [DEAD LINK]
R. Félix da Silva
Age 26
4 Apr 2017
Guarariba (Brazil)
Shot
R. was shot in the head while sitting in a rocking chair outside her home. Only her deadname is known.
https://goqueer.blogspot.com/2017/07/brazil-transgender-woman-murdered-in.html
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/04/ricardo-felix-da-silva-26-anos-tiros-pb-guarabira/ [DEAD LINK]
http://www.portalmidia.net/plantao-policial-homossexual-e-assassinado-em-guarabira-pb/ [DEAD LINK]
http://www.portal25horas.com.br/homossexual-e-assassinado-com-tiro-na-cabeca-em-bairro-de-guarabira/
http://www.fatoafato.com.br/viewnoticias.php?cod=16497 [DEAD LINK]
http://www.portalindependente.com/noticias/vernoticia.php?cod=16968
Sherlyn Montoya
Age 29
4 Apr 2017
Tegucigalpa, Honduras (Honduras)
Tortured
Sherlyn went missing in the night of 2nd April. Her body was found in a bag with signs of torture.
http://www.washingtonblade.com/2017/04/10/trans-activist-murdered-honduras/
Bianka Gonçalves
Age 22
7 Apr 2017
Primavera do Leste (Brazil)
Shot
Bianka was shot at least twice in the head and robbed at dawn in a sex-work area alongside the MT-130 highway. According to police, the area is dangerous and many women who work there do not carry their bags.
Her Facebook profile is https://www.facebook.com/bianka.soares.397.
https://goqueer.blogspot.com/2017/07/brazil-transgender-woman-murdered-on.html
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/07/bianka-goncalves-de-22-anos-tiros-mt-primavera-do-leste/ [DEAD LINK]
Kenne McFadden
Age 26
9 Apr 2017
San Antonio, Texas (USA)
Drowned
Kenne’s body was found floating in the San Antonio river, and the medical examiner has ruled her death was a homicide by drowning.
Her Facebook profile is https://www.facebook.com/kenne.mcfadden.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/manslaughter-charge-in-death-of-texas-trans-woman-10
Sitara
9 Apr 2017
Sialkot (Pakistan)
Shot
Sitara was shot dead in Sialkot in the ogu Darbar Area. The identity of those responsible is unknown.
TvT partner organisation Wajood & Trans Action Pakistan, 09.04.2017
Camila
Age 45
10 Apr 2017
São José dos Campos (Brazil)
Beaten
Camila was beaten to death in a hotel room by a man she went out on a date with. Her murderer was arrested and has confessed to the crime and been jailed.
Camila’s death left her 5 and 10 year old children orphaned.
https://goqueer.blogspot.com/2017/07/brazil-camila-bashed-to-death-in-hotel.html
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/10/camila-prof-sexo-45-anos-espancamento-sp-sao-jose-dos-campos/ [DEAD LINK]
Jheayn
10 Apr 2017
Metro Manilla (Philippines)
Beaten
Jheayn was beaten to death. Facebook post comments suggested she was a member of a group or gang with enemies.
Vitoria Castro
Age 36
10 Apr 2017
Araguaina (Brazil)
Beaten
Vitoria was beaten. She died 10 days later in hospital.
Vitoria died of edema and cerebral hemorrhage four days after being beaten around the head.
TvT partner organization Rede Trans Brasil & O Coletivo 10/04/2017
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/10/vitoria-castro-36-anos-espancamento-2a-dp-to-araguaina/ [DEAD LINK]
Gabi Araújo da Silva
Age 29
12 Apr 2017
Feira de Santana (Brazil)
Shot
Gabi was shot in the face and shoulder at around 9:20pm on 12th April in Honorato Bonfim Street in the Brasília neighbourhood. Her colleagues suspect that she was murdered by a client.
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/12/gabi-29-anos-tiros-ba-feira-de-santana/ [DEAD LINK]
http://www.fortenoreconcavo.com.br/2017/04/travesti-e-morto-cruelmente-tiros-em.html
http://www.suburbioonline.com/travesti-e-morta-com-varios-tiros/
Hérica Izidório
Age 24
12 Apr 2017
Fortaleza (Brazil)
Beaten
Hérica died in hospital two months after being beaten and thrown from a viaduct.
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/12/herica-izidorio-espancamento-22-anos-ce-fortaleza/ [DEAD LINK]
http://www.portalonix.com.br/faleceu-herica-izidorio-vitima-de-espancamento-na-avenida-jose-bastos/
Name Unknown
12 Apr 2017
Curitiba (Brazil)
Beaten
The victim was beaten to death. The body was collected by the Medical-Legal Institute (IML) for official identification, and the crime is being investigated by the Civil Police.
TvT partner organization Rede Trans Brasil & Tribuna 12/04/2017
E. A. Moreira
16 Apr 2017
Itabuna (Brazil)
Shot
Witnesses reported that the victim was doing sex work near a gas station when she was approached and shot by her killer. She died at the scene.
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/16/nao-identificada-tiros-ba-itabuna/ [DEAD LINK]
http://www.sapeacunamidia.com.br/2017/04/travesti-e-morta-tiros-as-margens-de.html
https://jornalsportnews.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/homicidio-no-sao-lourenco-homossexual.html
Yadira Lopez Marroquin
Age 17
16 Apr 2017
Monterrey (Mexico)
Asphixiated
Yadira entered the Hotel Venecia with a male partner who left the hotel 20 minutes later leaving her body behind. She had been asphixiated.
https://ulisex.com/estrangulan-chica-trans-menor-edad-hotel-del-centro-mty/
Monse Morga Javier
Age 45
17 Apr 2017
Guerrero (Mexico)
Shot
Monse and another person went to a funeral. Their bodies were later found with shots to the head.
TvT partner organisation Centro de Apoyo a las Identidades Trans & Notimundo 20.03.2017
Pinha Priscila
17 Apr 2017
Fortaleza (Brazil)
Beaten
Pinha died from her injuries after being beaten the previous day.
https://goqueer.blogspot.com/2017/07/brazil-second-case-of-bashing-of.html
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/24/pinha-priscila-espancada-ce-fortaleza/ [DEAD LINK]
Samily Guimarães
Age 24
20 Apr 2017
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
Shot
Samily was shot in the head and breast on Avenida Atlântica on the banks of the Botas River at 11:30pm. Witnesses reported that the shots came from a passing car.
https://goqueer.blogspot.com/2017/07/brazil-transgender-woman-samily.html
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/21/samily-guimaraes-24-anos-tiros-dhbf-rj-em-belford-roxo/ [DEAD LINK]
https://faizakhalida.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/transexual-samily-guimaraes-de-24-anos.html
https://oglobo.globo.com/rio/policia-investiga-morte-de-mulher-transexual-em-belford-roxo-1-21243311
Chayviss Reed
Age 28
21 Apr 2017
Miami, Florida (USA)
Shot
Chay was shot in the stomach while running across the street. Her attacker fled.
According to her Facebook page, Reed grew up in Carol City, graduated from American Senior High School and moved to Opa-locka after she finished at the job corps. Her friends say she was sweet, full of life and hilarious.
Nina Serafina, who also met Reed at the Homestead Jobs Corps, said Reed was the life of any party and “loved to dance her heart out.”
“She was like a mom,” she said. “Tell you when you wrong even if you don’t want to hear it.”
Her friend’s death left her crying “like a baby,” she said.
“The whole city loved her,” she said.
https://mic.com/articles/174967/transgender-woman-chay-reed-shot-and-killed-in-miami
https://www.advocate.com/crime/2017/4/28/miami-trans-woman-murdered-ninth-homicide-year
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/04/24/ninth-black-trans-woman-killed-in-the-us-this-year/
J. S. Matos (“Marooni”)
Age 51
22 Apr 2017
Belem (Brazil)
Marooni was a hairdresser. She was stabbed 18 times at dawn on 22nd April. Neighbours told police that they heard several shouts from the victim, but had not seen anything.
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/22/jaime-soeiro-matos-cabeleireiro-51-anos-pa-belem/ [DEAD LINK]
A. Ribeiro Marcossone
Age 27
23 Apr -2017
Curitiba (Brazil)
Shot
A. was approached by two men and shot more than 25 times in the head and chest.
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/23/a-r-marcossone-27-anos-25-tiros-dhpp-pr-curitiba/ [DEAD LINK]
http://www.tribunapr.com.br/painel-do-crime/travesti-e-morta-com-cerca-de-20-tiros-na-cic/
http://www.bandab.com.br/seguranca/travesti-e-brutalmente-assassinada-com-mais-de-25-tiros-na-cic/
Tato Eduardo Ayestas
23 Apr 2017
El Paraíso (Honduras)
Stabbed
Tato was stabbed repeatedly.
TvT partner organisation Centro de Apoyo a las Identidades Trans & Tiempo, 24.04.2017
Eloá Silva
Age 17
27 Apr 2017
João Pessoa (Brazil)
Shot
Eloá was shot by two men who entered her home.
https://goqueer.blogspot.com/2017/07/brazil-transgender-teen-killed-at-home.html
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/27/eloa-silva-17-anos-tiros-pb-joao-pessoa/ [DEAD LINK]
http://www.diariodecacimbadedentro.com.br/2017/04/travesti-de-17-anos-e-morta-tiros-em.html
Vanessa Valenzuela
28 Apr 2017
Viña del Mar, Region Valparaiso (Chile)
Beaten
Vanessa was attacked with hammers, sticks and beaten up by 5 people who yelled “kill the fag”.
TvT partner organisation Centro de Apoyo a las Identidades Trans & El Ciudadano 04.05.2017
Name Unknown
29 Apr 2017
Barcarena (Brazil)
Stabbed
The victim was drinking in the company of another person when they had an argument. She was stabbed twice. Her killer has confessed to the crime.
TvT partner organization Rede Trans Brasil & Duda Lacerda/ Rede Paraense de Pessoas Trans via WhatsApp. 28/04/2017
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/29/nao-identificada-tiros-pa-belem/ [DEAD LINK]
https://homofobiamata.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/duda-lacerda.pdf
Name Unknown
29 Apr 2017
Vitoria de Santo Antao (Brazil)
Shot
The victim was shot by a 38-caliber pistol. Her name is unknown.
Note that the TGEU list gives her name as “Uilca”, but in the original news reports that name was used only in reference to the murder of Wilka in the same city a month earlier.
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/29/nao-identificada-tiros-pe-vitoria-de-santo-antao/ [DEAD LINK]
Sophia Castro
Age 21
29 Apr 2017
Belo Horizonte (Brazil)
Beaten and strangled
Sophia was beaten with a hammer and strangled. When arrested her attacker claimed that he killed her in self-defence.
HJC, 42, was arrested on the spot and taken to the Prison System Relocation Center (Ceresp) in Contagem. According to the police, a friend of the suspect reported the murder to the Military Police. H. called him for help because he had killed someone and was thinking about killing himself.
In a statement, he said he ran a show with Sophia on Saturday (29) and after using cocaine they ended up falling out. He claimed that she had attempted to assault him and that he retaliated, using a hammer and squeezing the victim’s neck until she fainted.
The vice president of the Center for Fight for Free Sexual Orientation (Cellos-MG) and member of the Trans Network, Anyky Lima said she met Sophia when she was 19 and went to live in her house for a year.According to Anyky, the girl had a dream of having her home, was quiet, kept in touch with her mother, and because of the lack of opportunity in the job market, she was in prostitution. She points out that the police should be involved in investigations not only of Sophia’s death, but of several cases of transphobia, such as Mirella de Carlo’s , on February 19, at Carlos Prates in BH. Anyky claims that there is always an attempt to blame the victim who was murdered and to justify the crimes of transphobia.
https://goqueer.blogspot.com/2017/07/brazil-21-year-old-sophia-castro-killed.html
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/29/sophia-castro-21-anos-marteladas-mg-belo-horizonte/ [DEAD LINK]
https://freelance24horas.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/desaparecida-ha-5-dias-travesti-sophia.html
Layza Mello
Age 28
30 Apr 2017
Vila Velha (Brazil)
Shot
Layza was shot in the hand, head and chest by an unknown attacker. The man who fired the shots fled after the crime and has not yet been identified, although police have released CCTV footage of the suspect.
https://goqueer.blogspot.com/2017/07/brazil-transgender-layza-mello-28.html
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/30/layza-mello-28-anos-tiros-13a-sdp-es-vila-velha/ [DEAD LINK]
Name Unknown
30 Apr 2017
Belem (Brazil)
Shot
The victim was shot.
TvT partner organization Rede Trans Brasil & Rede Paraense de Pessoas Trans/ Duda Lacerda 30/04/2017
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/30/nao-identificada-tiros-pa-belem-2/ [DEAD LINK]
Samaielly da Silva Nascimento
Age 16
30 Apr 2017
Lauro de Freitas (Brazil)
Shot
Samaielly was murdered on 30th April at around 11 pm in the district of Itinga, municipality of Lauro de Freitas.
Friends of Samaielly said that she lived in an extreme state of social vulnerability as when she transitioned at the age of thirteen she had been kicked out of the house by her family. She had no job and lived alone in a small room.
“She was desperate, looking for a job. She was alone, there was no one. The father lives on the island, the family was estranged from her because of her sexual identity.” said a friend who prefers not to identify themself.
https://goqueer.blogspot.com/2017/07/brazil-16-year-old-transgender-girl_26.html
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2017/04/30/samaielly-tiros-27a-dp-ba-lauro-de-freitas/ [DEAD LINK]
http://itambeagora.com/2017/05/transexual-de-16-anos-e-assassinada-com-seis-tiros-na-bahia.html
http://www.jornalfolhapopular.net.br/transexual-de-16-anos-e-assassinada-com-6-tiros-em-itinga/
Shama
Age 27
30 Apr 2017
Tej Mohan Nagar (India)
Stabbed
Sharma and her killer were married but he left Sharma when he learned she was transgender. Several years later he returned to the city where she was living and stabbed her. Her killer’s mother may have been an accomplice and has also been arrested.
TvT partner organization APTN & Hindustan Times, 08.07.2017
May 2017 >>
Rest in peace. We will not forget.
TDoR 2017: Say their names. Learn their stories. Remember them
With thanks to the many volunteers reporting acts of violence against trans people worldwide, and in particular to Transgender Europe.
