On the 17th of July 2008, 18-year-old transgender woman, Angie Zapata, was brutally murdered in Greeley, a town an hour north of Denver. She had been beaten to death with a fire extinguisher. Zapata had been accepted and loved by her family but had faced extensive bullying while growing up. Following her murder, over 200 people showed up to her vigil. “We loved taking her out, because she got so much attention,” said her sister.
31-year-old Allen Andrade was swiftly tied to the murder; surveillance footage was captured of him in the company of Zapata and his DNA was found on a cigarette butt in Zapata’s apartment. Moreover, a vibrator found at the crime scene was determined to have his DNA on it (and none of Zapata’s). While awaiting trial, Andrade was recorded in a jailhouse phone call telling his ex-girlfriend he killed Andrade spontaneously after finding out she was born a male. He claimed he had gone on several dates with her. While discussing Zapata, Andrade referred to her as “it.” At one point in the call, his ex-girlfriend mentions that her phone is dying. Andrade replies with: “It’s always dying. It’s gay. Gay things need to die.”
During the trial, prosecution asserted that Andrade had met Zapata on a bisexual chat room. Andrade denied even knowing her despite the fact that they were spotted together on CCTV and shared over 650 phone calls and texts leading up to the murder. Even more damning was the DNA which tied him to the crime scene and his recorded confession. After two hours of deliberation, Andrade was found guilty of murder and a bias-motivated crime. He was sentenced to life without parole.
The trial brought to light the dangers transgender individuals face on a daily basis. Greenly is a generally conservative part of Colorado; the sentence Andrade received displays a society that is not willing to accept such hatred.
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