Before we begin, we want to highlight an article by Terrell Jermaine Starr at AlterNet. He took the time to sit down with Lamia’s family and provided a kind and compassionate profile of who Lamia was. We borrowed quite a bit from the article and we encourage you to read the full piece here.
This is Lamia Beard, a 30 year old trans woman from Norfolk, Virginia. Lamia was one of five siblings. She was absolutely adored and supported by her family.
According to her obituary, she “loved to travel, loved different cultures and spoke French fluently. Other accolades about Lamia, is that she was an excellent singer, loved music and dancing, and could do make-up with perfection. Her favorite singer was Beyonce. Lamia was a kind person who would give the shirt off her back. She walked in the truth as a genuine person and was wise beyond her years. She was loved by many because of her humble and giving spirit.” [i]
According to her sister, Kiara Parker:
“People would pay Lamia to sing at funerals and weddings.” [ii]
“Lamia was very simple…She just wanted to get her life together.”
Terrell Jermain Starr, who sat down and interviewed Lamia’s sisters:
“Parker described Lamia as a very smart woman who…was an avid reader. She favored the encyclopedia.”
“What Lamia did have going for her…was a close-knit, loving family who embraced her.”
To further highlight the support of her family, Lamia’s obituary used she/her pronouns and used a picture of her with long hair and makeup, looking back at the camera with confidence.
It is obvious that Lamia was deeply loved.
Facts of the Case
On January 17th, 2015, a little before 4am, Lamia was shot at East 25th Street, in Norfolk, VA. In critical condition, Lamia was transported to a hospital and later died of her gunshot wound.
Very little is known publicly beyond those bare facts. In 2015 it was reported that there was a second shooting two blocks away from Lamia, and police were “unsure” if the shootings were related. We scoured the internet trying to see if they were related, but there was no available follow up to suggest one way or the other.
When we called the Norfolk Police Department, we were told her case is now being handled by cold case detectives.
How to Investigate a Cold Case
In our jaunt around the internet, we came across an article from 2015 that lambasted Norfolk police for not having found any clues in Lamia’s case (one notable quote: “A clue for the Norfolk police, get a clue.”[iii]) and it got us thinking – how should police departments solve cold cases, and what is available to them?
It appears there are a couple of different strategies that officers can pursue[iv]. The one that leapt out at us as the most promising was forensics. The other suggestions were no-brainers like make sure you address old investigative errors and keep at it.
Initially we were not hopeful about the existence of good forensics in this case, as Lamia was shot. However, we have not seen her autopsy report, so we cannot say for certain that there were no signs of struggle. There could be DNA or fingerprints that the public is not aware of. The fact that there are no public suspects doesn’t mean investigators are not running DNA through a database.
However, even if investigators are running DNA through a database and having it tested, there are definitely some obstacles in the way of getting good results:
· Maybe Lamia’s killer doesn’t have DNA in a correctional database. If they have not been arrested, their DNA may not be on the radar.
· We don’t know what the cold case department budget is, and it is difficult to get a clear answer as to how expensive it may be to run these tests. If the budget is limited, who gets prioritized?
It is true that in 2019 two cold case murders were solved by the Norfolk police using forensic testing, which on the face is heartening. It suggests an active cold case department. When looking at both of those cases in detail, though, it becomes a little less heartening as both seem to have unique circumstances that led to the killer:
Kathleen Doyle – murdered in 1980. In November, 2019, Norfolk investigators were able to find her killer. Unique Circumstances: Kathleen’s husband was in the Navy. Because of this, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS – yes, like the TV show) was involved from the beginning. Additionally, it was a multi-state effort, meaning there were more resources available.
Donna Walker – murdered 1981. In August 2019, Norfolk investigators were able to find her killer, and were given the Biometric Identification Award by the FBI. Unique Circumstances: Donna’s killer left a fingerprint behind. Investigators were able to run that fingerprint through a new FBI tool called the Next Generation Identification System (NGI) which matched the fingerprint to someone already incarcerated for a different homicide. While we don’t know for certain whether or not Lamia’s killer left behind a fingerprint, they would also need to have been incarcerated for this system to provide results. The NGI can only match fingerprints, palm prints, and irises.
Other than Kathleen Doyle and Donna Walker, it appears only one other cold case has been solved in Norfolk:
Lionel Wayne Baldwin – murdered 1975. In 2012, Norfolk investigators were able to charge his killer because two witnesses, who were present the night of the murder, came forward and named him. Unique Circumstances: witnesses stepped forward to provide crucial information. No DNA or forensic evidence used.
It really seems like forensics and witnesses are the only real way to solve cold cases if the initial investigation was thorough and complete. We wonder if the killer spoke to anyone about the crime. If so, we hope they come forward and speak to the police. We can understand why a witness may not want to step forward, if they themselves are frightened of the killer. Norfolk has a population of 244,076, which isn’t that large. Someone has to know something. If there aren’t forensics in Lamia’s case, we hope someone steps forward to give her family a bit of closure.
Data Issues
One question we had while researching Lamia’s case is whether the victim-offender relationship is different for trans and gender non-conforming individuals, and if that makes it harder to solve those homicides. If you will recall from our profile on India Clarke, data collection has been a consistent challenge. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has started the process of collecting data in 2013, but before that no data was being collected.
Honestly, we started down a confusing road looking at both the FBI[v] and HRC[vi] numbers, but we had too many questions about both data sets to feel comfortable comparing and contrasting the numbers. We’ll still show you both data sets so you can see what we’re talking about, but here are our questions about the data:
1. We know the FBI tracks hate crimes and there is data on gender identity specific hate crimes out there, but if the homicide occurs in a state that does not have hate crime laws protecting gender identity, is the homicide counted as a hate crime by the FBI? Do they go off of federal definitions of crimes or defer to how the individual states track this data? We suspect it is based on states self-reporting as that is the biggest way the FBI receives this data.
2. When is the relationship defined for the FBI and the HRC? Is it defined after charges are brought? Are both using consistent reporting measures?
3. Is the FBI tracking gender identity in their data?
a. is it broken down by the traditional sex lines? When you sort by “sex” is it just talking about biological sex, or does it also include gender identity?
b. Who is hidden in the “male” category?
c. Who is hidden in the “female” category?
4. We know that criminalized sex work, workplace discrimination, and lack of hate crime laws contribute to these homicides, but is there more that could be discovered if this data was comparable?
5. The HRC has just a category called “family friend”—is that family, friends, and family friends? The language explaining the graph in their report is confusing. This makes it harder to compare the family/friend categories in the FBI data.
6. We are curious if sex work clients are rolled into the category of “acquaintances” or “stranger.” Since sex work is criminalized, it can be an increased risk factor for trans and gender non-conforming individuals and it would be helpful to know that victim-offender relationship, and if trans & gender non-conforming sex workers are at a higher risk than their cis[vii] counterparts.
HRC Graph
FBI Data
Without the ability to parse out trans and gender non-conforming people from these categories, it is extremely difficult to see what the unique characteristics are on a macro scale. It is important that the FBI address these data issues, as the FBI data is used in both criminal justice systems as well as for criminologists in examining specific populations. The HRC data is a fantastic start, but the FBI needs to start looking at this data as well to ensure consistency. This is not to say the HRC data is not good! It has allowed us to see trends in a population that is deeply underserved and under-protected, and has given us invaluable insight into what we need to do protect trans and gender non-conforming people.
While we wait for the FBI and government agencies to start collecting the necessary data, how can agencies like the HRC get more data? We can turn our attention to media reporting.
Media Coverage
As we covered in our profile on India Clarke, media coverage is one way organizations like the HRC are able to find trans and gender non-conforming victims. However, if these victims are referred to with the wrong pronouns, it creates an opportunity for them to be missed. For example, if a trans woman is called a man in a headline, she runs the risk of not being counted among trans and gender non-conforming victims.
Beyond data tracking, how the media covers a victim can impact how a group is seen by the public. Look at how young black victims are reported on. Often, a mug shot is the photo used in the article or broadcast to imply that the victim was a criminal and they deserved a violent outcome. News stories will often invoke prior drug use and arrests to paint a picture of a hardened “thug” when in reality, those prior events had no bearing on the situation leading the victim’s murder.
Trans people have a similar narrative that the news media likes to spin. If they had sex work in their past, you had better believe that will be brought up in the coverage. Lamia Beard was no different. Some news outlets[viii] referred to her by her dead name and used he/him pronouns (making it more likely that advocates trying to track data may miss that Lamia was trans), and beyond that her criminal record and prior sex work was brought up without relevancy.
Setting aside data and public perception, how the media portrays these victims is important because the families of the victims are watching. These are real humans who are watching their loved one be picked apart.
“I was mortified…What Lamia did 5, 10, 15 years ago has nothing to do with this case. In fact, if it had anything to do with it, they should have put that in the article. It didn’t have anything to do with her being shot and murdered.”" – Lamia’s sister, Kiara Parker, on the news coverage immediately after her murder.[ix]
GLAAD[x] put out a guide for news media on how to report about trans victims of violent crimes. It suggests that if you do bring up past sex work, bring context to the table. Do not just toss out “she was a sex worker!” and leave it at that. Really, though, it should only be brought up when clearly connected to the crime. Unfortunately, the coverage of Lamia’s murder did not provide that context.
What we know about sex work is that it is often turned to when other options are not available. According to the HRC, “With limited access to workplaces, housing, and public accommodations that are guaranteed to be affirming and inclusive, transgender and gender non-conforming people are put at greater risk for poverty, homelessness and involvement with criminalized work.” [xi]
Kiara Parker paints a consistent picture of how Lamia began her involvement in sex work:
“Being transgender, it was very hard for Lamia and it affected her. She would get discouraged about applying for different jobs. It came to a point and time when Lamia just wanted people to accept her for who she was and to find a job so she could live on her own.”[xii]
“In the ensuing years, Lamia struggled to find work and depended on friends and family for support. No matter how hard she tried to support herself financially, people would not give her a shot. Parker would accompany Lamia around town as she applied for jobs, any kind of job, including fast food and clerical. In most cases, the look on hiring managers’ faces signaled that she wasn’t going to be considered. " – journalist Terrell Jermaine Starr interviewing Kiara Parker. [xiii]
“Lamia would stay with friends and family because she could never save enough money to rent her own place." – Terrell Jermaine Star
"Lamia was staying with Kendall the day before she was killed Saturday morning. Kendall said that Lamia wanted to travel the world eventually but that her goal for 2015 was to find a job and save enough money to move into her own place so that her nieces and nephews could visit and watch movies. " – Terrell Jermaine Starr
As you can see, a clearer image starts to form: Lamia wanted to be able to work as herself, but had a difficult time doing so due to the discrimination she faced. She wanted her own stable housing. With extremely limited opportunities, is it any wonder she may have turned to sex work? People get desperate.[xiv] And it had no bearing on her murder.
The media has a role in how society views trans and gender non-conforming people. The media reinforces the stereotypes and assumptions that lead hiring managers to reject candidates based on their gender identity.
Hate Crime Bill 179
So, what can we do from here? Well, one way the HRC[xv] suggests we can lower risk levels for trans and gender non-conforming people is to adopt gender identity-based hate crime laws, and increase non-discrimination protections.
There is a federal law against gender-identity hate crimes, but unless there is a reason for federal authorities to get involved in a murder, states retain jurisdiction.
In Virginia specifically, there is a bill going through Congress that would create a gender-identity hate crime law. Bill 179 was introduced by Virginia senator Barbara Favola, who initially tried to pass a similar law in 2015 (it was rejected). As of February 27th, 2020[xvi] bill 179 has been voted to pass by the house. The next step is for the Governor to sign the bill into law. If Governor Ralph Northam does not sign it, it can be sent back to the house and senate for a vote that overrides Northam. If it is either signed or voted in by the house, it could become law as early as July 2020.
As exciting as this is for Virginia, the majority of US states still do not have gender identity hate crime laws. States that DO have hate crime laws that cover gender identity: Connecticut Delaware, DC, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont, and Washington.
If you don’t see your state listed here, find out what is happening in your state! Are there bills in progress? If so, reach out to the organizations working on them to see what they need and how you can get involved. See where your local LGBTQIA+ resource center is – we feel confident they will be able to give you an idea of what is happening on the legislative level in your state.
Conclusion
The loss of Lamia is heavy. We hope that the loss weighs upon a witness out there, and we hope they unburden themselves. We don’t know why Lamia was murdered, and that must be awful for her family. We aren’t fooling ourselves thinking that one of our readers has any knowledge of Lamia’s murder, but we hope her story sticks with you. We hope that you think about Lamia the next time you see news coverage of a murdered trans or gender non-conforming person and you think about how her family feels reading that article, or hearing that headline. We hope that if you are in a position to hire someone who looks like Lamia you can look past your biases and treat them fairly. We hope that if you are in a state without adequate hate crime laws, you will call your representatives and let them know something needs to be done.
Notes
[i] http://memorials.metropolitanservice.com/profile.aspx?id=c6d3caae-d31f-48b6-ae9f-fddcf44bc86a
[ii] Note: all other quotes by family members were taken from this source. https://www.alternet.org/2015/01/murdered-trans-womans-family-celebrates-her-life/
[iii] https://planettransgender.com/trans-woman-lamia-beard-murder-unsolved-while-witnesses-remain-silent/
[iv] https://www.policeone.com/police-products/investigation/dna-forensics/articles/iacp-quick-take-5-ways-to-solve-a-cold-case-v0wRJkqVmO34x9qr/
[v] The FBI Data came from: https://crime-data-explorer.fr.cloud.gov/explorer/national/united-states/crime
[vi] https://assets2.hrc.org/files/assets/resources/Anti-TransViolenceReport2019.pdf
[vii] Cis is defined as “denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex.”
[viii] https://www.glaad.org/blog/media-continues-disrespectful-reporting-transgender-women-color-are-murdered
[ix] See i
[x] https://www.glaad.org/publications/transgendervictimsofcrime
[xi] See vi.
[xii] See i
[xiii] See i
[xiv] We do not think sex work is inherently bad, and we are of the opinion that sex works should be legalized. Not everyone who does sex work does so out of desperation, there are many people who enjoy sex work and deserve workplace protections.
[xv] See vi
[xvi] https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB179 this page is updated in real time so you can follow it’s progress!
