South Carolina Black trans woman found murdered becomes 12th of 2019
Police are searching for clues in their hunt for the killer of Denali Berries Stuckey, who became the latest in an ongoing number of Black transgender homicides across the country
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A transgender woman was found shot to death in South Carolina, last weekend, making her the 12th confirmed Black trans murder in 2019 so far.
According to ABC News, early Saturday morning, police found the body of Denali Berries Stuckey, 29, on the side of a road in North Charleston. Coroner’s office officials have also confirmed that Stuckey’s death has been ruled a homicide and an investigation is ongoing.
READ MORE: Second Black transgender woman killed in Maryland raises alarms
“She was a free spirit. She was very outspoken,” family friend Ron’Rico Judon told ABC News. “If you didn’t like the fact that she was trans, she would give you a piece of her mind.”
Because she transgender, Stuckey was first identified as by her given name, Derrick Stuckey, but the Alliance For Full Acceptance (AFFA) and the Human Rights Campaign identified her by the name she assumed after transitioning, according to local station WCIV. The HRC, which is the country’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group, tracks the number of transgender people murdered each year, and confirmed that Stuckey brought the official tally up to 12.
Sunday, Chase Glenn, the executive director of Alliance for Full Acceptance, said in a statement that Stuckey is also the third known Black trans woman to have been murdered in South Carolina since 2018.
“I am heartbroken and outraged by the news of yet another murder of one of our transgender community members,” Glenn said. “We refuse to become numb. We will continue to say the names of these women and remember them how they would have wanted to be remembered.”
READ MORE: Fourth Black transgender woman murdered in Dallas
Monday evening a memorial was held for Stuckey in North Charleston.
29 year old Denali Berries Stuckey was found shot to death early this morning; making her the 12th Black trans woman (that we know of) murdered this year. 🙏🏾 We don’t deserve death. We deserve, jobs, housing, healthcare, and social support. More importantly—we deserve love. #RIP pic.twitter.com/7AO5HuWtmb
— Ashlee Marie Preston (@AshleeMPreston) July 21, 2019
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