Noyola said she remembers it as mostly non-trans people, a handful of folks, angry and grieving over Gwens murder. As she struggles to heal and support herself, Guerrero has also found a deep appreciation for the impact of Gwens life. [52] He asked the jury to return first-degree murder convictions of Magidson and Cazares, fingering Magidson as the main culprit who had strangled Araujo and calling him "a poor excuse for a man" with a "stupid and moronic" list of excuses for murdering her. The defense maintains Araujo tricked the defendants into sexual relations. Nabors and Cazares urged the others to "knock the b out", according to Nabors's testimony. The Gwen Araujo murder trial begins in a Hayward courtroom. [37][38] Cazares had been identified as a potential witness on October 22. Nicole Brown, Paul Merl and Emmanual Merl left the house while Araujo was still bleeding in the living room. But the murder of Gwen Araujo is still important today. She says she receives emails from all over the world. Referring to Araujo as Lidathe name she had used with themNabors testified that he saw Magidson raising the rope to her neck before he left the garage and that Magidson later told the others "that he had wrapped the rope around Lida's neck and twisted it." [60], Gwen Araujo was mourned in a public funeral at St. Edwards Catholic Church in Newark on October 25, 2002. "[20] Brown said the four men were out at a club together and did not return to the house until after midnight. Araujo attended a party at the house Jos Merl shared with his younger brother, Manny, and his older brother Paul, who also had previously engaged in sexual acts with Gwen. "[23], At some point after that, Brown woke Paul Merl, and they left the house with Emmanuel Merl. [30], Magidson testified that it was instead Nabors who strangled her and struck her with the shovel,[32] and Cazares testified that he never struck her and did not see her die. [29], Before the first trial, the prosecuting attorney, Alameda County deputy district attorney Chris Lamiero argued that simply being transgender should not have been a death sentence:[44]. [23] Merl also said he thought she was still alive until he saw her body in the bed of Magidson's truck. People are going to be hard on you, and its not going to be easy. Guerrero has survived in part from a GoFundMe page that raises donations on her behalf. Court adjourned Thursday before Nabors could begin describing the night of the slaying. As the escalator ascended to the street, Gwen transformed. We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. SFs most important stories, delivered straight to your inbox, Sylvia Guerrero, whose transgender daughter Gwen Araujo was murdered in 2002, sits for a portrait with a photo of her daughter on Saturday, Oct.1, 2022, in Tracy, Calif. Araujo, who spent a lot of time in San Francisco as a teenager, was beaten and strangled to death in Newark, Calif., when she was 17 years old. Sylvia Guerrero said that she wants attorneys to refer to her daughter as Gwen when the case is retried. Gwen, often called a woman, was really just a 90-pound girl withno chance against the four drunken youngmen, including two who had been sexually intimate with her, Guerrero said. During Magidson's testimony, a tape of his initial interview with the police was shown, in which an investigator was recorded coaching him to use the trans panic defense: "You'd be surprised. [58], Lamiero had undermined criminal intent by commenting, "Gwen being transgender was not a provocative act. Her depression, anxiety and PTSD are so debilitating, Guerrero hasnt been able to find a full-time job. Neither defendants was convicted of a hate crime. [15][16], Nicole Brown, who was dating Paul Merl (Jos's older brother) and was acquainted with Araujo, said that she and Araujo had engaged in a physical fight after Brown challenged Araujo to strip for the men. The men became suspicious that Araujo was not biologically female because she did not let them touch her genitalia. At first, she didnt know how to talk about it. Over the next few hours, Araujo was punched and beaten as she tried repeatedly to escape the house. Below, you'll find a timeline of how the life and death of Gwen unfolded. [4][5] In some contemporary news reports and during the first trial of the perpetrators, Gwen Araujo was misgendered and referred to by her deadname. age: 17 yrs 7 mos 7 days ~~~ Edward Gwen Araujo, Jr. of Newark entered into rest Thursday, October 3, 2002. 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[55], On September 8, the jury announced that it had reached verdicts on two of the three defendants. She wasnt mad. The two -- Michael W. Magidson and Jose A. Merel, both 25 -- were found guilty of second-degree murder for the death of Gwen Araujo, who was born as a male named Eddie Araujo Jr., but who . That friend tipped off the police, and agreed to wear a microphone during a subsequent conversation with Nabors about the murder. "The first time I saw makeup smeared, I was yelling, 'What's wrong with you?'" She got a grant from the Horizons Foundation to speak at schools about what it is like to raise a transgender child and the challenges transgender youth face in society. On October 4, 2002, four young men brutally murdered a beautiful, 17-year-old transgender teenager named Gwen Araujo. If it's a man, she ain't gonna leave. After the jury was removed from the courtroom, bailiffs removed the defendants and locked the doors while they escorted Nabors to the stand. At the sentencing of the suspects, Araujo's mother, Sylvia Guerrero, said that the murder and court process (which lasted three years) had taken an emotional toll on her and that it had affected her relationship with her children. According to court testimony, Araujo, who presented herself as Lida, engaged in sexual acts with Magidson and his friend, 22-year-old Jose Merel. After she left, Nabors asked the other three "Could this be a dude?" All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! The second trial began on May 31, 2005. On Tuesday, trans rights advocates and Gwens loved ones will gather at San Franciscos Main Library to honor her legacy on the anniversary of her murder. Araujo was born with male genitalia but her immediate family noticed early on. Araujo was born with male genitalia but her immediate family noticed early on. She transferred to an alternative high school, but did not return for the 200203 academic year. An estimated 3,000 marched from Dolores Park to Civic Center where a rally was held. Transgender activists attended the trial and condemned the strategy to blame Araujo for her own death. One of the many factors that parole boards consider is the impact on the victims family. Sylvia Guerrero has faced hardship since Araujo's death. Dufty was elected as a supervisor in San Francisco a few months after Gwens murder and witnessed the community organizing that followed. Emma Rodrigues, Gwen Araujo's aunt, Statement at sentencing hearing, January 27, 2006[53], The three defendants testified in this trialand blamed each other as well as Nabors. She went on to say, "It feels like we lost our mom. [23], She was then placed in the bed of a pick-up truck, and the four men drove her body four hours away, burying her near the Sierra Nevada mountains in a shallow grave in the El Dorado National Forest near Silver Fork Road in El Dorado County. Cazares, Magidson, Merl:First trial:MistrialSecond trial: Gwen Amber Rose Araujo (February 24, 1985 October 4, 2002)[1] was an American trans teenager who was murdered in Newark, California at the age of 17. Stuff like that. Momsespecially momsif they knew the factsyou'd be surprised. [61][81], Michael Magidson said he was not ready for release at his parole board hearing in 2016, and his request for parole was also opposed by Guerrero. of SF politics and culture. J. Tony Serra, Cazares' attorney, asked Emmanuel Merel why he had not called police the night of the attack. Jerry Brown. Curating the best of The Standards top-notch reporting, every Saturday. Emmanuel Merel said he later had left the house with his older brother, Paul Merel, and the brother's girlfriend, Nicole Brown. Guerrero, who was making good money as a legal assistant at a San Jose law firm when Gwen died, is now homeless, shuttling her neatly packed belongings between relatives homes in a friends borrowed car. Loves to Read. "I know that their force is what stopped us from getting her out of the house.". Before Gwens death, Guerrero was a legal assistant and had a 401(k) pension account. Lopez stood next to her on a packed BART station escalator. They viciously beat and strangled Gwento death at a Newark house party on Oct. 4,2002, after they confirmed she was biologically male. Merel, who has expressed remorse from the beginning, admitted Friday that back then he felt more sorry for himself. He is expected to resume testimony Monday. Nabors described how Araujo had locked lips with all four of the men that night to blow marijuana smoke into their mouths in what he described as a "power hit." I cant tell youhow many people have told me, because of your daughter, I am free to be who I am.. One can debate the propriety of one choosing to identify with a gender other than the one they were born with. Earlier Thursday, Emmanuel Merel, 22, testified that he had stayed in his room for most of the night on Oct. 3, 2002, instead of partying with the others. The four accused of the murder were: Michael Magidson, 22; Jaron Nabors, 19; Jos Merl, 22; and Paul Merl, Jose's older brother. [76], Jaron Nabors was released from prison some time before 2016. Still, there have been nearly 25slayings of transgender people in the United States so far in 2016 alone, according to Noyola, including the killing of Brandi Bledsoe in Cleveland last week. Prosecutors allege they beat and strangled Araujo, 17 -- who was born Edward Araujo but lived and identified as a young woman -- in the early morning hours of Oct. 4, 2002, before burying her body in the El Dorado National Forest in the Sierra foothills. Gwen Araujo murder 14 years later: Transgender, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), ACE train service cancelled after more mudslides at Niles Canyon, Gwen Araujo murder 14 years later: Transgender teens killers face parole. Gwen Araujo was a 17-year-old transgender teenager who lived in Newark, Calif. with her mother, Sylvia Guerrero. According to court testimony, Araujo, whom the men knew a Lida, engaged in sexual activity with Michael Magidson and Jos Merl. On the night of Oct. 3, 2002, Araujo attended a party at a house rented by Jos and Paul Merl. A month before Gwens murder, Guerrero decided to talk to Gwen about her future. Gwen Araujo was a transgender teenager from the SF Bay Area who was killed 20 years ago by men who claimed they were deceived by her sexual identity. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. She says she is excited to return to actively working on the cause. One of the defense attorneys explained the last question had specifically asked if prospective jurors had watched the film Boys Don't Cry or the play The Laramie Project, but was changed over defense concerns that by being so specific, those who had not would be prompted to watch them. Now at 58, she wears flip-flops and jean shorts. One of those friends was Daisy Bernal, whom Guerrero took in for three years when she was 16. I was treated differently when I was wearing my business clothes to now that Im in shorts and have no money, Guerrero said, waving her hand over her figure. Gwen Araujo was a transgender teenager from the SF Bay Area who was killed 20 years ago by men who claimed they were deceived by her sexual identity. Magidson was called out for being unrepentant at his sentencing and still has not shown remorse, according to Guerrero. 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