HOUSTON, Mo. – Even as authorities in rural southern Missouri dismiss the possibility that a transgender teenager’s death was a hate crime, questions remain about why the quiet 17-year-old was killed in such a ghastly manner.
Authorities identified the burned remains as those of Joseph Matthew Steinfeld Jr. —the birth name of a transgender girl who went by the name Ally Lee Steinfeld. The remains were found last week in the town of Cabool, near the mobile home of one of the alleged killers, 24-year-old Briana Calderas, with whom Steinfeld was living. Some of Steinfeld’s bones were in a bag in a chicken coop. Authorities said both eyes were gouged out and Steinfeld had been stabbed in the genitals.
Calderas and two 18-year-olds, Andrew Vrba and Isis Schauer, were charged with first-degree murder and other counts. A fourth suspect is charged with abandonment of a corpse and tampering with evidence. All four are jailed without bond.Steinfeld had been missing for weeks, and initial news reports referred to her as a male, in part because missing-person posters distributed by the family used Steinfeld’s birth name, as did police documents.
Steinfeld’s mother, Amber Steinfeld, still refers to her child as Joey, but said the teen identified as female to family and to friends on social media. She said her child was “loving and kind-hearted.”
Steinfeld was engaged to a woman until they broke up in August, Amber Steinfeld said, and soon after began dating Calderas. She said Steinfeld and the two 18-year-old suspects were all living at Calderas’ mobile home. She said that Steinfeld was upbeat before she disappeared, telling relatives that she loved them and was happy.
Authorities aren’t saying what led to the killing. But both Sheriff James Sigman and prosecutor Parke Stevens Jr. insist the crime was not motivated by Steinfeld’s gender identity.
http://has2see.com/death-of-transgender-teen-in-missouri-surrounded-in-m
I can't believe the police believe that this was not a hate crime, despite the overwhelming evidence in family disputes and the cause of death. Its so disturbing and sad.
ReplyDeleteWhile the crime itself is disturbing and sad, my view is that there is simply not enough evidence to prove for or against a hate crime. A crime is a crime, and to me personally I could care less what kind it is until we have a more solid basis as to what happened in the situation in the first place. There are too many holes to make a firm accusation in my opinion
DeleteSay what you will, but I agree with the officials investigating this case. There are many more factors in a murder than ones sexuality and gender identity, although they commonly play a role.
ReplyDeleteThis is sad. It really annoys this because the police can't identify as this as a hate crime because there isn't enough evidence. Yes, obviously there could also be another reason behind this heinous crime but the main reason seems very obvious.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible that if the police had properly indefide her then someone might possibly had see her some where. Also I don't see how putting the effort of causing political and social unrest by not properly identifying her was really the best use of time.
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