CRIME
Latinx Transgender Woman Murdered in the Bronx
Man arrested for killing 24-year-old Alexandria Winchester on December 26
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
A Latinx trans woman
was shot to death in the
Bronx on December 26,
the NYPD confi rmed to
Gay City News.
Authorities said Alexandria
Winchester, 24, was found dead
at the rear of 365 East 183 Street.
She died from a gunshot wound in
the back of her head, according to
police.
The city’s EMS team pronounced
the woman dead on the scene.
Police said she resided at 480 E.
185 Street, which is the site of the
LGBTQ youth homeless shelter
known as Marsha’s House.
On December 29, police arrested
30-year-old Marquis Tanner in
connection to the case. Tanner,
who resides in Manhattan, was
charged with murder, criminal
possession of a weapon, and unlawful
possession of marijuana.
The Ali Forney Center, which
serves LGBTQ homeless youth,
fi rst announced on December 31
that Winchester died in the shooting.
Winchester was one of the center’s
clients.
“A young transgender woman of
color was murdered on the streets
of our city. The details about her
murder are still emerging, and it
is believed she knew her murderer.
We do not know whether she was
targeted because of her identity.
We are shattered, but our dedication
is not broken,” the Ali Forney
Center wrote on Facebook.
The post continued, “We are
working with our community partners
to host a vigil. As we mourn
this loss, we continue our fi ght for
trans lives, and we hold space for
our trans coworkers and clients to
bring light to her life and death, to
say her name, to hold community,
and to affi rm that trans lives matter
and trans lives are beautiful.
#SayHerName #AlexandriaWinchester.”
Just after the holiday break, Bill
Torres, director of the Ali Forney
Center’s drop-in services, said he
received a call from the NYPD’s LGBTQ
liaison, Carl Locke. He said
Alexandria Winchester was found dead near this location at 365 East 183 Street in the Bronx on December 26, according to police
Locke noticed that wanted posters
referring to the incident misgendered
the victim. Locke reached
out to Torres to clarify the victim’s
identity and correct the mistake.
“We end up in that position a
lot where we become the guardian
family, the spokesperson for whoever
has passed,” Torres said.
Torres recalled briefl y meeting
Winchester during the center’s
drop-in hours. At that time, Winchester
was new to New York and
was still processing much of her
life.
“I remember her because she
was so smart and so full of joy even
though she was new to Harlem,
new to the streets, and new to her
identity,” Torres said. “New to the
confl ict between all of that.”
Marcié Kumah, a local LGBTQ
advocate, said she was one of Winchester’s
mentors. The community
wants to give Winchester a proper
burial, but she said they are struggling
to identify her family.
“It bothers me that her body
might still be unclaimed in the
morgue,” she said. “It’s very important
that our community member
is given dignity at the end… give
dignity to Alexandria.”
Kumah described Winchester as
“witty” and “outspoken.” Kumah
said they connected at community
events.
“She was a young girl getting her
life,” said Kumah, who recalled the
two had personal conversations
about everything from relationships,
dating to transition. “She
would speak her mind up front…
I couldn’t see someone just attacking
her without her defending herself.”
There are few public details
about Winchester’s relationship
with her family, but Kumah noted
that sometimes Alexandria would
not “dress like herself” to appease
family members.
Winchester’s killing comes after
the Human Rights Campaign
tracked the deadliest year on record
for transgender and nonbinary
individuals, with most of
those killings targeting trans people
of color.
“We must demand better from
our elected offi cials and reject
harmful anti-transgender legislation
at the local, state and federal
levels, while also considering
every possible way to make ending
this violence a reality,” HRC’s
deputy press secretary, Madeleine
Roberts, wrote in a statement. “It
is clear that fatal violence disproportionately
affects transgender
women of color, especially Black
transgender women. The intersections
of racism, transphobia,
sexism, biphobia and homophobia
conspire to deprive them of necessities
to live and thrive, so we
GOOGLE MAPS
must all work together to cultivate
acceptance, reject hate and end
stigma for everyone in the trans
and gender non-conforming community.”
Among other recent cases include
the murder of Courtney
“Eshay” Key, a Black transgender
woman who was killed on Christmas
Day. Last month, Bella Pugh,
a gender non-conforming teenager,
was killed at a Christmas party in
Prichard, Alabama, near Mobile.
Gay City News reported on January
4 that a transgender woman
was found dead in a Georgia Parking
lot, though it was unclear
whether or not she was targeted
because of her gender. Like many
trans people, she was misgendered
in police reports and by local news
outlets.
Torres said the deaths of LGBTQ
people “seem never-ending.”
But the most diffi cult part, he
said, is hearing that another
young trans woman died at the
start of her life.
“I just remember her giggling
about a new dress and enjoying
herself,” said Torres tearfully in
a phone call with Gay City News.
“Right at the beginning of our work
in this child’s life where they felt
free for it to be ended so tragically
like that and to have no family that
shows up or cares. It just breaks
my heart.”
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