“These actions invite increased discrimination and continued animus against transgender people,” Gordon said.įederal prosecutor Julia Gegenheimer had said at Vallum’s plea hearing in December that he began planning to kill Williamson after a friend called him in May 2015 to say he’d discovered Williamson’s identity. She cited the Trump administration’s reversal of guidelines that transgender students nationwide should be able to use school bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity - among other steps. Gordon said her group remains concerned how Trump policies will affect transgender people. LGBT advocates applauded federal officials’ first use of the 2009 hate crimes law to prosecute an offense against a transgender person.ĭemoya Gordon, attorney for the Transgender Rights Project of Lambda Legal, called the prosecution “significant” but noted it began under President Barack Obama’s administration and added “the cake was already baked” on Vallum’s sentencing when Donald Trump became president. “The Justice Department will continue its efforts to vindicate the rights of those individuals who are affected by bias motivated crimes.” “Today’s sentencing reflects the importance of holding individuals accountable when they commit violent acts against transgender individuals,” Sessions said in a statement. The case, watched nationally amid concerns transgender women are particularly vulnerable to violence, drew comment from U.S. “If I could bring back Mercedes by giving up my life, I would gladly do so.” “Every day, I live with the guilt and regret of my actions,” Vallum said. On Monday, Vallum begged forgiveness from Williamson’s family and friends, though none of them were present - only a few reporters, the judge and Vallum’s father and stepmother.
He previously pleaded guilty to a state murder charge that led to a separate sentence of life without parole. Vallum pleaded guilty to the federal charges in December. “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,” Guirola said in court in Gulfport. Both the judge and defense lawyers said Vallum’s history of abuse as a child had to be considered. Guirola could have sentenced Vallum to life in prison, but heeded a lesser sentence suggested in a plea agreement between defense attorneys and prosecutors, citing Vallum’s neglected childhood and other issues. Gang rules barred homosexual activity and declared it punishable by death. Prosecutors said Vallum shocked 17-year-old Mercedes 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 were having sex.
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