Fatal Violence Against Transgender People, 2017

Methodology & Coding Notes

• Victim list: Cases #1–25 follow the order documented in the HRC report A Time to Act (November 2017). Cases #26–28 (Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson, Brandi Seals, Jaylow McGlory) were identified after the report's publication. Total: 28 verified cases.
• Solve rate: Of 28 total victims, 16 have identified suspects (57% clearance rate using the standardized denominator that includes police-involved cases; excluding the 3 police cases, 16 of 25 = 64%). Three suspects were acquitted: Tyrone Kemp (TeeTee Dangerfield case), Doris Carrasquillo (Kashmire Redd case, self-defense), and Desmond Harris (Jaylow McGlory case, self-defense). Two cases had charges dismissed: Kenne McFadden — Mark Daniel Lewis (double jeopardy) and Ava Le'Ray Barrin — Jalen Breon Brown (self-defense immunity, late July 2018). One suspect was no-billed by grand jury (Gwynevere River Song — Robert Wayne Mosher, self-defense). An arrest warrant was issued for Leonard Ward in the Ciara McElveen case (July 2018), but it is unclear whether Ward was taken into custody.
• Suspect race verification: All race codings verified from mugshot photos, explicit news descriptions, or court records — never inferred from surnames alone.
• Bias motive coding: "Confirmed" = hate crime charges filed OR explicit anti-trans motive stated by police/prosecutors. "Suspected" = evidence of possible anti-trans animus but no formal hate-crime charge. "No Evidence" = documented IPV, robbery, family dispute, or other non-bias motive. "Unknown" = insufficient information or unsolved case with no known motive.
• Weapon categories: "Firearm" includes all shootings including by police. "Stabbing" includes knife/sharp instrument. "Other" includes blunt force trauma, drowning, and burns.
• Note on Gwynevere River Song: Shot by father Robert Wayne Mosher during a family dispute at their home. Grand jury declined to indict (no-billed), reportedly based on self-defense claim. Counted as identified suspect but excluded from solve-rate statistics.
• Note on Kenne McFadden: Mark Daniel Lewis was indicted for manslaughter after admitting he pushed McFadden into the San Antonio River. Prosecutors presented all evidence at a probation revocation hearing; the judge ruled the conduct was not criminal, and due to double jeopardy the case could not proceed to a criminal trial. Counted as "Charges Dismissed."
• Note on TeeTee Dangerfield: Tyrone Kemp was charged with malice murder but acquitted by a jury in November 2021. Because Kemp was cleared, the case is counted as unsolved — the actual killer has not been identified.
• Note on Ava Le'Ray Barrin: Jalen Breon Brown was charged with murder and aggravated assault. In late July 2018, Judge Eric Norris granted a self-defense immunity motion and dismissed all charges. Counted as "Charges Dismissed."
• Note on Kashmire Nazier Redd: Doris Carrasquillo was charged with first-degree manslaughter but cleared by a jury that found she acted in self-defense.