Living Out Loud with Darian

The Poughkeepsie Journal is reporting that Dwight DeLee has been charged with murder as a hate crime in the brutal killing of black transgendered woman Lateisha Green of Syracuse, New York last November.


Green who was 22 at the time of her murder was shot as she sat in a parked car with her brother Mark Cannon, 18, and a third person when gunman Dwight R. DeLee fired a .22 caliber rifle into her chest killing the victim.


District Attorney William Fitzpatrick says DeLee shot Moses Cannon dead Nov. 14 after hearing comments about Cannon’s sexual orientation. Moses Cannon was living as a woman, using the name Latiesha Green. Relatives have described him as transsexual.


Transgender female and activist Autumn Sandeen of Pam's House Blend reacts to the news, "I'm glad that the alleged killer is being prosecuted. If Dwight DeLee is found guilty of the crimes he's alleged to have committed against Latiesha Green, the Poughkeepsie Journal states that he'd face up to 25 years to life for the crimes.


For me, this can't be about revenge; instead, I believe we must all keep in mind that this is really about justice for Latiesha. If DeLee is found guilty of a significant crime related to Latiesha's homicide, even if it's not the hate crime, I believe lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community members must consider that a satisfactory outcome might be that he should just receive a substantial penalty for the homicide, instead of recieving a substantial penalty specifically for hate crime.


Again, justice for Latiesha is what I believe this all needs to be about.





Developing Story-


In related news: Family and friends of 22 year old LaShon Lee Douglas of Marietta, Georgia are heartbroken after Douglas' lifeless body was found in a trash bin 100 miles from his home in middle Georgia on March 18.


Eric Riley, a 35-year-old truck driver, has been arrested and charged with concealing the death of Douglas and tampering with evidence. Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents discovered some evidence that Riley had allegedly destroyed when they served a search warrant at his Box Springs, Georgia home.


Riley and Douglas knew each other personally, but according to press authorities were "deliberately vague" regarding the nature of their relationship. The coroner who examined Douglas found no immediate cause of death. A GBI spokesman said that additional charges might be filed against Riley once toxicology and final autopsy results are known.


Douglas was laid to rest last Saturday in Marietta, Georgia. Friends have created a Myspace page in his memory. And while it is unknown if Douglas was open about his sexual orientation to his family, photos posted on the aforementioned Myspace profile along with credible reports to lodarian.com confirm Douglas was gay and also went by the name Arielle Redd.


One can only wonder if this is another potential hate crime and if the authorities will pursue it as such and charge the suspect accordingly.


Our condolences go out to both families.


h/t Autum Sandeen & Jon Teal