Public defenders submitted a sealed brief Monday to Guirola outlining Vallum's troubles. When Williamson tried to run, they said, Vallum chased her and bashed her head with a hammer. They added he shocked her with a stun gun and stabbed her with a pocketknife. Vallum lured Williamson into a car in Alabama and drove her 50 miles (80 kilometers) to his family home near Lucedale, Mississippi, prosecutors said. "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. Democrat Sen.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.As Shutdown Looms, Questions Mount About Exactly How Much Leverage House GOP Holds.Emma Roberts Apologizes to 'American Horror Story' Star Angelica Ross.Succession: Rupert Murdoch Hands Company to Son Lachlan.Ukraine Missile Strike Hit Russian Black Sea Fleet HQ, Claims Kremlin.Report: Joe Biden's DHS Plans ID Cards for Illegal Aliens Freed into U.S.Bob Menendez Accused of Accepting 'Cash, Gold, Home Mortgage Payments'.Phillips: Menendez Should Resign or Dem Can Leaders Push Him Out Fashion Notes: The Insincerity of John Fetterman's Hoodie, Explained.Trump Autographs Woman’s Shirt in Iowa Bar.Feel Safe Yet? NYPD Deploys Police Robots to Times Square Subway Station.Vallum pleaded guilty earlier to murder charges in state court. Latin Kings rules ban homosexual activity and declare a punishment of death. Prosecutors say Vallum killed Williamson to keep fellow gang members from discovering they’d been having sex. There, they say, Vallum attacked Williamson. Prosecutors say Vallum lured Williamson into a car in Alabama, and drove her to his family’s home near Lucedale, Mississippi. His sentence could be as long as life in prison without parole. Joshua Vallum is scheduled to appear before a federal judge Monday in Gulfport, Mississippi, after pleading guilty in December to hate crimes charges in the 2015 death of 17-year-old Mercedes Williamson. Latin Kings rules ban homosexual activity and declare a punishment of death.įor the first time in the U.S., a person will be sentenced on federal hate crimes charges for killing a transgender person. District Judge Louis Guirola (juh-ROH’-lah) could have sentenced Vallum to life in federal prison, but stuck to a sentence suggested in a plea agreement between defense attorneys and prosecutors, citing Vallum’s neglected childhood and other issues. The case had been closely watched by LGBT advocates nationwide. Vallum acknowledged guilt in the 2015 death of 17-year-old Mercedes Williamson. (AP) - The Latest on a Mississippi man convicted of federal hate crimes charges in killing a transgender person (all times local):Ī Mississippi man has been sentenced to 49 years in prison for the first-ever conviction on federal hate crime charges arising from the killing of a transgender person.Ī federal judge on Monday sentenced Joshua Vallum, who had previously been sentenced to life without parole on state murder charges.
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