Remember Gwen
Jun. 22nd, 2004 01:40 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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transMEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Gwen Smith
gwen@gwensmith.com
Ethan St. Pierre
Transfriendly@aol.com
ARAUJO CASE ENDS IN MISTRIAL
Remembering Our Dead Project Urges Retrial on All Counts
HAYWARD, Calif., June 22, 2004 - Judge Harry Sheppard ruled a mistrial in
the murder case of Gwen Araujo, declaring that the jury is "hopelessly
deadlocked." The Remembering Our Dead project urges the District
Attorney's office to retry this case in the pursuit of justice.
"One may hope that the District Attorney retries this case," said
Remembering Our Dead founder Gwen Smith. "To think that these men could
end up in a plea bargain for a reduced sentence -- or worse yet, released
back into society -- only angers me."
Gwen Araujo was a 17-year-old transgender teenager who was murdered in
Newark, California in October of 2002. Evidence presented during the
trial indicated that she was brutally beaten and strangled over a period
of several hours before her body was driven 150 miles from the scene of
the murder and deposited in a shallow grave.
The jury deliberated over parts of ten days, and had indicated that they
were in trouble once before today. That led to a read-back of several
key sections of testimony as well as a rereading of the instructions
covering murder and manslaughter charges.
It is widely speculated that the issue of "transgender panic" raised by
the defense may have played a pivotal part in this outcome. In this
defense, it is assumed that it would be "reasonable" behavior to murder a
person -- assuming you had been intimate with them -- when you discover
that person is transgendered. This defense is similar to the "gay panic"
defense used in trials such as that of Matthew Sheppard, and it widely
decried by gay and transgender activists as "blaming the victim."
"Would we be seeing this sort of outcome if Gwen Araujo was not
transgendered," Smith said, "or is this another example of transgender
lives being devalued? Is it still 'ok' to murder a transgender person?"
The Remembering Our Dead project
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Gwen Smith
gwen@gwensmith.com
Ethan St. Pierre
Transfriendly@aol.com
ARAUJO CASE ENDS IN MISTRIAL
Remembering Our Dead Project Urges Retrial on All Counts
HAYWARD, Calif., June 22, 2004 - Judge Harry Sheppard ruled a mistrial in
the murder case of Gwen Araujo, declaring that the jury is "hopelessly
deadlocked." The Remembering Our Dead project urges the District
Attorney's office to retry this case in the pursuit of justice.
"One may hope that the District Attorney retries this case," said
Remembering Our Dead founder Gwen Smith. "To think that these men could
end up in a plea bargain for a reduced sentence -- or worse yet, released
back into society -- only angers me."
Gwen Araujo was a 17-year-old transgender teenager who was murdered in
Newark, California in October of 2002. Evidence presented during the
trial indicated that she was brutally beaten and strangled over a period
of several hours before her body was driven 150 miles from the scene of
the murder and deposited in a shallow grave.
The jury deliberated over parts of ten days, and had indicated that they
were in trouble once before today. That led to a read-back of several
key sections of testimony as well as a rereading of the instructions
covering murder and manslaughter charges.
It is widely speculated that the issue of "transgender panic" raised by
the defense may have played a pivotal part in this outcome. In this
defense, it is assumed that it would be "reasonable" behavior to murder a
person -- assuming you had been intimate with them -- when you discover
that person is transgendered. This defense is similar to the "gay panic"
defense used in trials such as that of Matthew Sheppard, and it widely
decried by gay and transgender activists as "blaming the victim."
"Would we be seeing this sort of outcome if Gwen Araujo was not
transgendered," Smith said, "or is this another example of transgender
lives being devalued? Is it still 'ok' to murder a transgender person?"
The Remembering Our Dead project
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MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Gwen Smith
gwen@gwensmith.com
Ethan St. Pierre
Transfriendly@aol.com
ARAUJO CASE ENDS IN MISTRIAL
Remembering Our Dead Project Urges Retrial on All Counts
HAYWARD, Calif., June 22, 2004 - Judge Harry Sheppard ruled a mistrial in
the murder case of Gwen Araujo, declaring that the jury is "hopelessly
deadlocked." The Remembering Our Dead project urges the District
Attorney's office to retry this case in the pursuit of justice.
"One may hope that the District Attorney retries this case," said
Remembering Our Dead founder Gwen Smith. "To think that these men could
end up in a plea bargain for a reduced sentence -- or worse yet, released
back into society -- only angers me."
Gwen Araujo was a 17-year-old transgender teenager who was murdered in
Newark, California in October of 2002. Evidence presented during the
trial indicated that she was brutally beaten and strangled over a period
of several hours before her body was driven 150 miles from the scene of
the murder and deposited in a shallow grave.
The jury deliberated over parts of ten days, and had indicated that they
were in trouble once before today. That led to a read-back of several
key sections of testimony as well as a rereading of the instructions
covering murder and manslaughter charges.
It is widely speculated that the issue of "transgender panic" raised by
the defense may have played a pivotal part in this outcome. In this
defense, it is assumed that it would be "reasonable" behavior to murder a
person -- assuming you had been intimate with them -- when you discover
that person is transgendered. This defense is similar to the "gay panic"
defense used in trials such as that of Matthew Sheppard, and it widely
decried by gay and transgender activists as "blaming the victim."
"Would we be seeing this sort of outcome if Gwen Araujo was not
transgendered," Smith said, "or is this another example of transgender
lives being devalued? Is it still 'ok' to murder a transgender person?"
The Remembering Our Dead project <www.rememberingourdead.org> exists to
honor individuals murdered as a result of anti-transgender hatred and
prejudice, and draw attention to the issue of anti-transgendered
violence. Remembering Our Dead is a project of Gender Education and
Advocacy, Inc.
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Gwen Smith
gwen@gwensmith.com
Ethan St. Pierre
Transfriendly@aol.com
ARAUJO CASE ENDS IN MISTRIAL
Remembering Our Dead Project Urges Retrial on All Counts
HAYWARD, Calif., June 22, 2004 - Judge Harry Sheppard ruled a mistrial in
the murder case of Gwen Araujo, declaring that the jury is "hopelessly
deadlocked." The Remembering Our Dead project urges the District
Attorney's office to retry this case in the pursuit of justice.
"One may hope that the District Attorney retries this case," said
Remembering Our Dead founder Gwen Smith. "To think that these men could
end up in a plea bargain for a reduced sentence -- or worse yet, released
back into society -- only angers me."
Gwen Araujo was a 17-year-old transgender teenager who was murdered in
Newark, California in October of 2002. Evidence presented during the
trial indicated that she was brutally beaten and strangled over a period
of several hours before her body was driven 150 miles from the scene of
the murder and deposited in a shallow grave.
The jury deliberated over parts of ten days, and had indicated that they
were in trouble once before today. That led to a read-back of several
key sections of testimony as well as a rereading of the instructions
covering murder and manslaughter charges.
It is widely speculated that the issue of "transgender panic" raised by
the defense may have played a pivotal part in this outcome. In this
defense, it is assumed that it would be "reasonable" behavior to murder a
person -- assuming you had been intimate with them -- when you discover
that person is transgendered. This defense is similar to the "gay panic"
defense used in trials such as that of Matthew Sheppard, and it widely
decried by gay and transgender activists as "blaming the victim."
"Would we be seeing this sort of outcome if Gwen Araujo was not
transgendered," Smith said, "or is this another example of transgender
lives being devalued? Is it still 'ok' to murder a transgender person?"
The Remembering Our Dead project <www.rememberingourdead.org> exists to
honor individuals murdered as a result of anti-transgender hatred and
prejudice, and draw attention to the issue of anti-transgendered
violence. Remembering Our Dead is a project of Gender Education and
Advocacy, Inc.