In 2017 so far, at least 10 transgender people have been murdered, according to the Human Rights Campaign. In 2016, 27 transgender people were murdered. Williamson was one of 21 transgender people murdered in 2015. A Latin Kings street gang member is expected to plead guilty today to the murder of transgender teenage and Alabama native Mercedes Williamson. The most notable case in South Mississippi occurred when Latin Kings gang member Josh Vallum stabbed and beat to death 17-year-old Mercedes Williamson, a transgender girl he had dated. ![]() “Today’s sentencing reflects the importance of holding individuals accountable when they commit violent acts against transgender individuals,” Sessions said. In a statement in response to Vallum’s sentencing, Sessions vowed that the Justice Department would “continue its efforts to vindicate the rights of those individuals who are affected by bias motivated crimes.” While in Congress, Sessions opposed the bill and worked to defeat it arguing that it would just prosecute “thought crimes.” Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was signed into law in 2009 and expanded existing federal hate crimes law to protect LGBTQ and disabled people. The preliminary hearing of Latin Kings gang member Josh Vallum has been postponed to Wednesday because the accused killer of a transgender teenager in Mississippi was accidentally transferred to. Vallum was prosecuted under the Matthew Shepard, James Byrd Jr. As reported by The Advocate, 28-year-old Josh Vallum, thought to be a member of the Latin Kings gang, was charged with Williamsons murder in the days following the discovery of her partially. ![]() ![]() It was a case closely watched by LGBTQ advocates, particularly those who were skeptical about whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions would vigorously enforce federal hate crime protections for those who suffered violence or discrimination due to their gender identity or sexual orientation. Guirola also fined Vallum $20,000, but declined to give him a life sentence, citing abuse he suffered as a child. “The taking of a human life because a person has a particular gender identity is particularly heinous and cannot be tolerated in an enlightened society,” U.S. Vallum was a member of the Latin Kings gang, and testified he was scared that gang members would kill him if they discovered he had dated a transgender woman, according to a statement from the Justice Department. Prosecutors said Vallum shocked Williamson with a stun gun, stabbed her and beat her to death in 2015 to keep fellow Latin Kings gang members from discovering the two had been having sex.
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