Unfinished Lives

Remembering LGBT Hate Crime Victims

Justice Coming for Angie Zapata

 

Angie Zapata, 18, and alleged murderer, Allen Andrade, courtesy of ABC News

Angie Zapata, 18, and alleged murderer, Allen Andrade, courtesy of ABC News

 

Denver, CO: Allen Andrade, 32, told investigators that he bashed Angie Zapata in the head twice with a fire extinguisher.  He confessed that he thought he had “killed it” when Zapata roused, and then he clobbered her again, delivering the coup de grace.  That was last July.  Now he is slated to go on trial for bias-motivated murder in Greeley, CO where he carried out the crime because he found out Zapata, an 18-year-old male-to-female transwoman, was biologically male.

 

Angie Zapata

Angie Zapata

 

Born Justin Zapata, Angie had been living as a woman since the age of 16.  She had striking beauty, attracting many admirers, though according to her sister, Monica, her loves ended by her boyfriends going back to biological women.  Angie was a gentle, graceful, loving sister, who suspended her life in Fort Lupton, where she was raised, to come to Greeley to help her sister take care of her children.  Monica found Angie’s battered corpse in her apartment, covered in a blanket.  

For two weeks, investigators sought the killer, and finally arrested Andrade on July 30.  He made an initial confession which a judge ruled inadmissible on a technicality.  He has been held in jail without bond since his arrest for the murder.  While behind bars Andrade made recorded phone calls to girlfriend claiming that when he discovered Zapata’s biological status, he “snapped.”  In another conversation, he told his girlfriend that “gay things need to die.”  The phone call transcripts and recordings will be admitted in evidence in the trial.

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According to the Associated Press, Andrade is going to be the first person prosecuted for a hate crime under the sexual orientation section of Colorado’s hate crimes law.  Colorado is one of 11 states to have hate crimes enhancements in their statutes.  The comprehensive Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on April 2, 2009, would allow the FBI and other Federal Agencies to investigate such crimes, and to support the local authorities in carrying out their investigations, as well.  Passage of the LLEHCPA remains a critical element of deterring and punishing hate crimes offenders for violence related to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

While nothing can bring Angie Zapata back to her family, friends and loved ones, justice for her and for all transgender victims of hate crime violence, which has been so long in coming, may finally be on the horizon.  Stay in touch for further developments.

April 17, 2009 Posted by | Beatings and battery, Bludgeoning, Colorado, Hate Crimes, Latino and Latina Americans, Legislation, Perpetrators of Hate Crime, Slurs and epithets, transgender persons | , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Justice Coming for Angie Zapata

Zapata tragedy unites community against hate

According to an article published this week in the Greeley Tribune, the tragedy of Angie Zapata’s hate-crime murder in mid-July has unified family, friends, advocacy groups, and supporters to condemn intolerance.

Gathering together on August 10th, over two-hundred people remembered Angie Zapata and celebrated her life and gender identity.

Kelly Costello, director of victim services for the Colorado Anti-Violence Program, said all people, despite their differences, deserve to live without fear. Remarks made by transgender activist Donna Rose underscored Costello’s comments: “It takes courage to live in a world that tries to force you into a box,” she said.

Zapata’s murder has also invoked the memory of other hate-crime victims, including Matthew Shepard. According to the article, “One person read a note from Judy Shepard, the mother of Matthew Shepard, who was killed near Laramie, Wyo., in 1998 because he was gay.”

Also in attendance at the Saturday vigil were Rep. Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley, and other lawmakers and community activists.

Monica Zapata, Angie’s sister, also spoke at the vigil. “She always knew she was supposed to be a girl. And we knew it too,” she said. “Don’t remember her as transgendered but remember her as a beautiful, loving woman.”

Monica also said, “You are who you are and you should never be ashamed.”

August 15, 2008 Posted by | Colorado, Latino and Latina Americans, Politics, Remembrances, transgender persons | , , , | Comments Off on Zapata tragedy unites community against hate

Greeley Police and the Zapata Family Speak about Angie Zapata’s Murder

View a Greeley Police press conference, where Police Chief Jerry Garner announces the arrest of Angie Zapata’s alleged killer.

In the video, Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck expressed how Weld County and the City of Greeley will dedicate their best efforts to prosecute the man who murdered Angie Zapata. Buck said, “It doesn’t matter who the victim is, or whether the victim is victimized because they are a certain race, religion, sexual orientation. It’s a crime, and in Weld County, in Greeley, we’re going to do the best we can to enforce the law. It [murder] can’t be tolerated at any level.”

Buck continued, saying, “I hope that if anything positive were to come of this we would develop a stronger relationship with the gay and lesbian, transgender, community so that they understand just how seriously we take crimes like this, and how vigorously we will pursue justice in a situation like this…. We are not tolerant of people who would do harm to the residents of our town.”

Excerpts of the press conference are reported by the Greeley Tribune:

 

In this video, members of the Zapata family speak about the death of Angie Zapata:

 

In a recent article, CBS Channel 4 in Denver published this photo of Zapata’s alleged killer, Allen Ray Andrade:

 

According to the CBS Channel 4 caption, “Allen Ray Andrade, 31, faces several charges, including second-degree murder in the death of Justin Zapata, 20, who was known as Angie Zapata. Her bloodied, battered body was discovered in her apartment by her sister on July 17.”

 

 

August 6, 2008 Posted by | Bludgeoning, Colorado, Latino and Latina Americans, Law and Order, Perpetrators of Hate Crime, transgender persons | , , , | Comments Off on Greeley Police and the Zapata Family Speak about Angie Zapata’s Murder

Justin “Angie” Zapata murdered in Colorado hate crime

Teenager Justin “Angie” Zapata was found dead in her Greeley, Colorado, apartment on July 17, the apparent victim of an anti-LGBT hate crime.  Zapata, who was 18 years old, sustained wounds to the head and face with a fire extinguisher.

Kelly Costello, director of victim services at the Colorado Anti-Violence Program, served as Zapata’s family’s spokesperson and said this is not the first time transgendered persons have been targeted by violent crimes in Colorado. “It’s frightening but not necessarily surprising,” Costello said. “It does send out a ripple effect and lets everyone know how vulnerable they are.” Costello’s remarks appeared in a Denver Post article on July 25.

According to a July 31 Associated Press article, Zapata’s killer, 20-year-old Allen Ray Andrade, made remarks showing he did not afford his victim the status of a full human being. While speaking to investigators about his involvement in the hate crime, Andrade referred to Zapata as an “it”. Andrade said that after hitting his victim twice in the head with a fire extinguisher, he thought he had “killed it.”

Responding to the suspect’s remarks, Greeley Police Chief Jerry Garner said he felt disgusted by the comment. “It’s a horrible thing to say.”

After reading about her sister’s killer, Monica Murguia, told Denver’s KDVR-TV that Andrade deserved to remain behind bars forever. “He took a part of our heart, he did, when he killed her.”

August 1, 2008 Posted by | Bludgeoning, Colorado, Hate Crimes, Latino and Latina Americans, Perpetrators of Hate Crime, transgender persons | , , , , | 3 Comments

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