TLDR local and national media (as well as queer-run media) is ignoring yet another anti-trans murder. Excerpts from the article below:
"A New Mexico based nonbinary transmasculine person was shot to death by neighbors in a rural unincorporated area known as Candy Kitchen in Cibola County. He was 39.
His name was Lucas RedBeard or Lucas Knapp. He also went by Luca. On Saturday, April 18, 2026, Lucas was walking his dogs when he heard a neighbor berating a third man. Lucas stepped in to defend the third man. That’s when David Thomas Byington shot Lucas in the chest. Byington and his wife fled. One witness ran to get help, struggling to find a cell phone signal. A second witness reportedly kept watch over Lucas’ body until the Sheriff arrived an hour later...
According to friends, there has been a history of bigotry by this couple...
Lucas was born in New Jersey. He lived in Florida, Oregon, and Boston before settling in Candy Kitchen, New Mexico. He went to Seminole High School and studied at Emerson College. He identified as a Chef, Fermenter, Natural Farmer/Builder, and Educator. At the time of his death, he lived in West Central NM, on Zuni, Diné and Pueblos Territories. According to friends he acquired land there around 2019 after he spent time at the Zuni Mountain Sanctuary with the Radical Faeries.
He founded Misfit Kitchen Gardens. an educational, high-desert farm in West Central New Mexico with a focus on landback support, food sovereignty, and sustainable practices.
There’s a unique response to Lucas’ murder – none of the local media outlets covering the crime have used Lucas’ name or any identity. Their focus has been on the murderers. I’ve been doing this for over 13 years and I’ve not encountered this before. Typically, outlets will say “the victim” or “the male victim” or “a local man was killed yesterday.” I’ve certainly encountered a lot of deadnaming and misgendering...
If the media doesn’t mention trans victims, soon they might not mention the crimes.
Other members of the trans community lost to violence in New Mexico include Nikki Turrietta in 2022 and Chilendrina Gracia Dominguez in 2021.
Rest in power, Lucas. You had a mighty impact in your too-short life. Oh how they cried they night you left them. Thank you for planting so many literal and figurative seeds that will continue to flower and bloom. Thank you for being the person who defends someone vulnerable. I am sorry we have not yet created a safer world for you to simply live.
Deaths reported in 2026
These individuals are part of the trans community including transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, and gender creative folx. Please do not share this content without attribution. Thank you
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-Mccray – Petersburg, Virginia. March 13, 2026. Age 42.
Davonta Curtis – Chicago, Illinois. April 5, 2026. Age 32.
Dannielle Spillman – San Francisco, California. April 16, 2026. Age 74.
Aleanna Royal Belcher – Binghamton, New York. April 17, 2026. Age 31.
Lucas Redbeard Knapp – Candy Kitchen, Cibola County, New Mexico, April 18, 2026. Age 39."
