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jcqln-slv · 6 years

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Gwen Araujo was a 17-year-old transgender woman from Newark, California. Her parents divorced when she was just a baby. Her family said that by the age of just two, Gwen showed a more feminine side and when she went to elementary school, she was bullied. She would come home covered in bruises and tell her family that the others called her “faggot.” Her sister, Pearl, always stood up for her, though.

As a teenager, Gwen began to wear makeup and confessed she felt like a girl trapped in a boy’s body. Shortly afterwards, she began hormone therapy. “She was really good at putting makeup on. She was a lot better than some of us,” her mother recalled. While her family accepted her the way she was, she craved to be accepted by her peers. “She was having a hard time with other people accepting or not accepting her,” said her aunt. Ultimately, she wanted gender reassignment surgery but her life was cut short before she got a chance.

In summer of 2002, Gwen met Michael Magidson, Jose Merel, Jason Nabors and Jason Cazares. Gwen soon became a frequent visitor at Merel’s home where they would all often play dominos and drink alcohol. Over time, Gwen and Madison engaged in oral sex several times and she had anal sex with Merel. If they tried to touch her, she pushed their hands away. The men soon started to question her gender when they began to compare sexual experiences with her. On the 3rd of October, 2002, Gwen went to a party at Merel’s home with Merel and the other three aforementioned men. It was the very first time she felt confident enough to wear a skirt.

Also in attendance was Nicole Brown. During the party, the topic of Gwen’s gender was brought up. Nicole grabbed Gwen’s genital area and yelled: “It’s a fucking man.” What was once a relaxing environment soon turned to an extremely dangerous and disturbing situation. The men were furious. “I swear, if it’s a man, I’m going to fucking kill him. She ain’t leaving,” said Jose Merel. Magidson then began to choke Gwen. It was at this moment that Nicole fled the home.

Over the course of the next three hours, Gwen was beat, kicked, strangled with a rope and hit with a shovel and skillet. She begged for mercy, crying: “No, please don’t. I have a family,” but the men continued. Merel and Magidson were said to be the two ring-leaders. At one point, Merel yelled: “I’m not gay. I don’t like men!” After she died, the men drove 150 miles east to the Sierra foothills and buried her in a shallow grave. They agreed to tell nobody but a couple of days later, Nabors told a friend and ultimately led police to Gwen’s body and confessed what happened.

During the trial, the defence referred to Gwen as the name she was given at birth. They also contended that the perpetrators were only guilty of voluntary manslaughter, adding that Gwen was guilty of “deception and betrayal.” Magidson and Merel were convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 15 years to life. Manors was sentenced to 11 years. Cazares was sentenced to six years in prison and was paroled in 2016. None of the men were convicted on the requested hate crime charges.

Following her murder, Gwen’s family legally changed her name Gwen.

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jcqln-slv · 6 years

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jcqln-slv · 6 years

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