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BREAKING NEWS: Jury Finds Dwight DeLee Guilty of Manslaughter in the First Degree as a Hate Crime in Lateisha Green Case

July 17, 2009

A jury today found Dwight Delee guilty of manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime after he brutally gunned down Lateisha Green, an African American transgender woman in Syracuse, New York last November.

GLAAD’s incoming President Jarrett Barrios said:

Today’s verdict brings justice for Lateisha Green, but it can never heal the immense loss her family has experienced.  We join Lateisha Green’s family in mourning her tragic death and honoring her legacy, and we call on the media to spotlight the pervasive violence our community continues to face across the nation.

See GLAAD’s full statement on the verdict here.

Delee was also found guilty of possession of a weapon and is to be sentenced on August 18.

The Associated Press reports:

Several witnesses said they heard DeLee refer to Green as a “fa–ott” just before Green was shot with a .22-caliber rifle while sitting in a parked car outside the party.

After six hours the jury reached its verdict of manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime.

The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund clarifies the charges on its blog:

Manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime requires that an individual intends to cause serious physical injury to a person because of a belief regarding that person’s sexual orientation, and causes serious physical injury to that person or a third person.

Green’s family responded to the verdict by remembering Lateisha:

Teish, a beautiful girl. A wonderful daughter. A brave soul. Teish was all of these things despite the adversity that regularly tried to weigh her down and overshadow her love of life. She was taken away from us too soon. All it took was one bullet. A bullet from a rifle that pierced her lungs and heart. And it took this one mere bullet to end Teish’s life because she happened to be a transgender woman. We have spent months waiting for this day to come.

GLAAD’s Senior Media Strategist, Andy Marra, sat in on the DeLee trial in Syracuse, New York. Marra’s account of the trial and subsequent verdict can be found here.

GLAAD will continue to monitor the media’s coverage of Dwight DeLee’s conviction for the killing of Lateisha Green. Updates can be found on glaadBLOG.org.

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GLAAD in Syracuse for Lateisha Green’s Trial

July 10, 2009

I am on the ground in Syracuse preparing for next week’s court trial involving the murder of Lateisha Green. I will be in Syracuse with a couple of our sister organizations throughout the entire trial working with both the family and media outlets covering this profoundly sad story.

On November 14, 2008, “Teish,” a young African American transgender woman, was shot and killed. You can read more about her story here.

For the past few months, I have been working with the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) and the Rainbow Alliance of Central New York to raise awareness around Teish’s murder and ensure media coverage is fair and accurate throughout the trial.

Lateisha Green. Image from News-10.

Lateisha Green. Image from News-10.

This particular trial is important. Teish’s murder will be the first hate crimes prosecution in New York State involving the murder of a transgender person. It is also the first murder ever classified as a hate crime in Onondaga County.

On Monday, July 13, Dwight DeLee will go on trial for the murder of Lateisha Green. If DeLee is found guilty, it will be only the second conviction involving the murder of a transgender person as a hate crime in the United States.  The first occurred earlier this year in the trial for the murder of Angie Zapata in Greeley, Colorado – you can read about our extensive work with the Zapata family here.

Prior to the trial, GLAAD, TLDEF and the Rainbow Alliance have planned a community memorial service at a local church to remember Teish and her life. Teish’s family will deliver brief remarks followed by a few performances by local groups. The service will close with doves and bubbles being released outside of the sanctuary.

I have been speaking with reporters and journalists about the memorial service. We are expecting The Associated Press and The Syracuse Post-Standard among a few others to attend the service and provide coverage leading up to Monday’s trial.

We have also arranged for a press conference to occur before the trial begins on Monday. Roxanne Greene, Teish’s mother, will deliver a brief statement, followed by remarks from the Rainbow Alliance of Central New York, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund and Empire State Pride Agenda.

I wanted to provide our readers with a few details about what you can do before the trial begins to unfold:

  • We wanted to let you know that readers can submit personal notes of encouragement to Lateisha’s family during this difficult time. You can email correspondence to: rgreen269@gmail.com. We cannot guarantee the family will be able to reply to your emails. Please do not direct media requests to the family’s email address. GLAAD is fielding all media requests for the family, so please email me instead at marra@glaad.org.
  • Make sure to visit and join the Justice For Teish Facebook group for news and updates about the trial. The group has 4730 members and counting. GLAAD and TLDEF are administrators so we will be posting information to update members throughout the trial.
  • GLAAD and TLDEF have also teamed up to tweet live throughout our time in Syracuse:

GLAAD Senior Media Strategist Andy Marra

You can follow me on Twitter for media developments, observations during the court trial and other updates at @Andy_Marra.

I will also be blogging throughout the trial to keep our readers updated on the trial and any related developments.

TLDEF Executive Director Michael Silverman

Please also follow Michael Silverman on Twitter for legal analysis and commentary related to the court trial at @TLDEF.

I need to go and prepare for several meetings including one with Lateisha’s family. But make sure to check back often for the latest developments at GLAADblog or by following us on Twitter.

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Angie Zapata’s Story Honored by Family and GLAAD

April 29, 2009

In the midst of the Angie Zapata murder trial in Greeley, Colo., which came to a conclusion last week with the sentencing of Allen Andrade, I was able to travel with Angie’s sisters Monica and Stephanie – along with their close family friend Tina Blea – from Colorado to Los Angeles for the GLAAD Media Awards. 

Univision’s Aqui y Ahora had been nominated for two segments on Angie’s story in the Spanish Language Newsmagazine Category.  As Monica Trasandes, GLAAD’s Director of Spanish Language Media, wrote last week, when the winner was announced, Monica Zapata joined Aqui y Ahora producer Belisa Morillo onstage to accept the award.

Monica Zapata and Aqui y Ahora producer Belissa Morillo at the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles.

The trip gave me an important opportunity to connect to Angie’s family. Having attended the Angie Zapata murder trial in Greeley all day Apr. 17, the Zapatas and I were forced to delay our flight due to a massive snowstorm in Denver, postponing our flight to Saturday morning. 

While we were held over, I had the opportunity, for the first time, to have a very casual conversation with Monica, Stephanie and Tina. Previously we had talked many times, but they were almost always focused conversations about our work with the media around Angie’s life and death.

What has become abundantly clear to me with every conversation I have with this remarkable family is how much they love Angie – and how much they stick together.

Over dinner they remarked that their trip to Los Angeles for the GLAAD Media Awards was particularly significant to them because of Angie. “You know, this was Angie’s dream. She dreamed of going away, being famous, and having her picture everywhere. She would have loved to take this trip,” they told me. They said that Angie dreamed big, and they feel that their first trip to LA was an opportunity to honor her dreams.

Monica Zapata with GLAAD Senior Media Field Strategist Adam Bass in Greeley, Colo.

They also told me that Angie’s favorite movie was A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story, which won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Television Movie in 2007.  In life, Angie saw a lot of similarities between herself and Gwen. She used to make her family watch the movie over and over with her.

It is devastating that now Gwen and Angie share more than the same life story – but that they were both victims of anti-transgender violence.

In court on the day before she arrived in L.A., Monica recounted that she used to tell Angie to be safe “every day.” She worried about the cruelty that exists in the world against transgender people.

At the event, she stood up while accepting the award and said these words to the audience:

“My family, some who are with me here tonight, always loved and supported Angie.  We understood that she was born in a boy’s body but she was a woman. So many transgender people do not receive that love, acceptance and support.

I would like to thank the reporter and producers of the Aqui y Ahora segment for treating Angie and her story with so much respect.  And for telling her story to Latino audiences.

Thank you to GLAAD for bringing us here, for recognizing Angie’s story and for helping us with the trial, and more. To all of you here tonight, I would like to say exactly what I would tell Angie if she was here.  Be yourself and be proud of who you are.  No tengas verguenza.  Eres una buena persona (Don’t be ashamed, you are a good person.)”

You can also watch a video of producer Belissa Morillo accepting the award for the Aqui y Ahora segments as well as Monica’s speech below: 

The resolve of seeing this wonderful family stand up and demand dignity is inspiring.  It is my hope, that as this family continues to speak up they can, as Monica implores people, “change the world for Angie.”

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Media Coverage of Verdict in Zapata Murder Trial

April 29, 2009

For more information on Angie’s story, visit www.angiezapata.com. You can see all of glaadBLOG’s coverage of the trial, as well as the media’s coverage, here.

If you are a journalist covering the trial and the verdict, make sure to read GLAAD’s Resource Kit.

Video Coverage

CNN:

  • Andrade found guilty of murder. Click here to watch.
  • Andrade gets life without parole. Click here to watch.

Pam’s House Blend – Angie Zapata family statement on Angie Zapata hate crime murder trial guilty verdicts:

Channel 9 News (NBC) – Andrade found guilty of hate crime. Bazi Kanani reports:

Channel 9 News (NBC) – Andrade Sentencing. Watch the sentencing hearing for Allen Andrade:

Print Coverage

The New York Times:

The Los Angeles Times:

The Colorado Independent:

The Greeley Tribune:

The Denver Post:

Denver Gay Examiner:

CNN:

CNN.com (In Session: Sidebar):

Blog Coverage

Pam’s House Blend:

The Bilerico Project:

VivirLatino:

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Zapata Family Remembers Angie After Verdict is Delivered

April 23, 2009

The verdict in the Angie Zapata murder trial came a lot quicker than anyone anticipated.

The jury took only two hours to rule that the man who stood accused of killing Angie Zapata was guilty of murder in the first degree – which caries a mandatory sentence of life in prison with no option for parole.  Sentencing for the other three charges will occur in May.  These include a hate crime charge, car theft and identity theft.

I was in a small victim assistance/witness room visiting with Angie’s brother Gonzalo, discussing the public statement he planned to make after the verdict was issued,  when we heard that the jury had returned.

The courtroom was packed as the jury filed in.  I sat directly behind the defendant, Allen Andrade, and could see his face in the TruTV “In Session” television screen in the media section of the courtroom.  Andrade had no reaction as the verdict was read.

After the verdict, the judge sentenced Andrade on the first degree murder count.  The sentence was mandated by state law – a conviction of first degree murder required the judge to impose a life prison sentence, without the possibility of parole.

After sentencing, Gonzalo, surrounded by some of his family members, made a statement to the media.  The statement was powerful, moving and showed very deeply how much this older brother loved his little sister.  You can see video of Gonzalo’s statement at Pam’s House Blend.

The courtroom was packed with media – at least 14 reporters were on hand and there were two media overflow rooms outside the courtroom.

Shortly after the family left the building, Gonzalo called me.  “Adam, we’re going to tell Angie the news, come with us.”

The family also invited TruTV to join them at the cemetary. The family has been very impressed with the continuous coverage of TruTV’s “In Session” and particularly the respect shown to Angie by reporter Beth Karas.

In a caravan, I followed Angie’s family and friends to the cemetery where Angie’s buried.  I held back, at the gate, for a long time.  Beth and the TruTV team stood back with me until the family motioned us to join them at the headstone.

While there, Angie’s mom Maria told story after story about Angie.  Friends and siblings spoke up and shared memories of Angie.  There were a lot of tears – and laughs – as they remembered her.

Monica then took my hand, and we stood in a circle.  Maria led us in the Lord’s Prayer, and then offered a very personal prayer of her own.  It was an honor to be included in this very personal moment.

Angie was, by all accounts, a beautiful, vibrant, loving person.  I wish I could have known her.  Standing hand-in-hand with Angie’s family and friends at Angie’s grave at dusk last night served as a reminder for me of why it was so important to be present in Greeley for this trial. It was an honor to grow closer with the Zapata family, and to see that even in an area, which many view as not being supportive of LGBT people, hate violence will not be tolerated.  The jury sent that message loud and clear yesterday afternoon.  It was remarkable to see.

Most of all, I’m in awe of the example the Zapata family sets.  As Gonzo said, on behalf of the family, “Remember her (Angie), like we do, as a beautiful, wonderful, precious teenager.  She would want us to remember the happy times in her life.  Together, and in Angie’s memory, let’s make the world a better place.”

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GLAAD Issues Statement on Angie Zapata Murder Verdict

April 22, 2009

Today, GLAAD and President Neil G. Giuliano issued a statement on the verdict in the murder case of Angie Zapata.  The jury found Allen Andrade guilty on four counts including first-degree murder and hate crime charges:

Today’s verdict was about justice for Angie Zapata, although no verdict will ever be able to heal the tragic loss experienced by Angie’s family.

The past few months have offered Greeley residents, as well as people throughout Colorado and across the nation, an opportunity to better understand transgender lives and the horrifying reality of anti-transgender violence.  Media coverage of this case has played a vital role in broadening that understanding, and it has helped more people understand the importance of a fully inclusive hate crime law like Colorado’s.

You can follow the media coverage of the trial and verdict here: http://glaadblog.org/tag/angie-zapata-murder-trial/ .

Also, for more information on Angie’s story, visit www.angiezapata.com. If you are a journalist covering the trial and verdict, make sure to read GLAAD’s Resource Kit.

*UPDATE: Below is some recent media coverage on the news of the verdict:

Print Coverage

The Denver Post:

The Greeley Tribune:

AP:

CBS 4:

Channel 7 (ABC):

The Colorado Independent:

 

Blog Coverage

Pam’s House Blend: 

Feministe:

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More Media Coverage of the Angie Zapata Murder Trial

April 22, 2009

As the trial in the murder of Angie Zapata continues, GLAAD will be monitoring local and national media for coverage of the trial and of Angie’s story.

For more information on Angie’s story, visit www.angiezapata.com. If you are a journalist covering the trial, make sure to read GLAAD’s Resource Kit.

Video Coverage

  • CNN – Transgender murder trial: In Session’s Beth Karas talks about the trial of Allen Andrade, accused of killing an 18-year-old transgender woman. Click here to watch.
  • Pam’s House Blend – Beth Karas of In Session TruTV interviewed by Autumn Sandeen:

Print Coverage

Los Angeles Times:

The Denver Post:

The Greeley Tribune:

Associated Press:

CNN.com (In Session: Sidebar):

Blog Coverage

Pam’s House Blend:

The Bilerico Project:

Denver Westword:

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Both Sides Rest in Angie Zapata Murder Trial

April 22, 2009

In what came as a surprise to nearly all court watchers, both sides rested Tuesday in the Angie Zapata murder trial.

 

Though most observers thought the prosecution would rest their case after almost four days of testimony – what came as a shock is how quickly the defense ended their case.

Most of the morning was spent hearing from Greeley Police Detective Tharp, who was the primary investigator of Angie’s murder. He was able to weave together key pieces of information from previous evidence, painting a picture of how Andrade plotted to kill Angie because of anti-transgender bias.

 

After lunch the defense called a few witnesses.  After being questioned, most of their testimony appeared to support the state, rather than the defense.  Based on the witnesses,  the defense seemed to suggest that because Angie was beautiful she was somehow to blame for her own murder. They argued that because Angie presented as a woman, Andrade was somehow justified in his violent reaction.

 

We are anticipating a media circus when the verdict is reached in this case. Local advocates along with GLAAD are working with the family to make sure they can provide the media with a statement of their overall reaction while allowing them to maintain some privacy.

 

You can now find live updates on the trial, not only at www.twitter.com/justiceforangie and www.angiezapata.com but also at The Greeley Tribune and on The Denver Channel.

Closing statements will occur Wenesday, and the verdict can come anytime after then.

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Emotional Testimony in Zapata Trial

April 21, 2009

On Friday, the atmosphere in the courtroom was especially emotional. The first witness of the day was the investigating detective who described the crime scene, while the prosecution presented pictures, video and evidence from Angie’s apartment. It was truly unsettling to hear, in detail, about the extreme brutality that Angie was subjected to in the last few minutes of her life.

The judge allowed the courtroom to see pictures of Angie’s body as it was discovered, but decided to limit the media and the family’s exposure to autopsy pictures. The conclusion was clear from the testimony: Angie was brutally beaten, and her assailant left no chance for her survival.

After the lunch break, the court heard moving testimony from Angie’s family. Angie’s mother, Maria, described her daughter in detail. “She was beautiful. She was beautiful,” said Maria Zapata. When asked why she called Angie by that name instead of the name assigned at birth, Maria said, “Because she was comfortable with it. She wanted me to.”

Angie Zapata

Monica and Ashley, Angie’s older sisters, both took the stand on Friday too. Monica and Ashley were the first to discover Angie last July 17 after the attack and their emotional testimony affected everyone in the room. Both sisters were pressed for conflicting statements by the defense. 

Monica talked about finding her sister’s body, and refusing to believe her to be dead. She challenged the cross-examining attorney, stating in no uncertain terms, “I found my sister murdered. I can’t tell you what I was thinking.”

The defense team continued to use Angie’s birth name and male pronouns. Angie’s sister Stephanie was quizzed by the defense using male pronouns in reference to Angie over and over. Each time, Stephanie responded with, “You mean Angie?” or “You mean my sister?” The defense attorney, clearly surprised by Stephanie’s resolve, responded, “yes” each time.

Angie’s life came to a very tragic and sad end. Yet, I left the courtroom on Friday so proud and happy that Angie, during her short 18 years alive, had been embraced and loved by such an amazing family.

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Continuing Media Coverage of the Angie Zapata Murder Trial

April 17, 2009

As the trial in the murder of Angie Zapata begins, GLAAD will be monitoring local and national media for coverage of the trial and of Angie’s story.

Below is a collection of media not included in our last post and up until today.

For more information on Angie’s story, visit www.angiezapata.com. If you are a journalist covering the trial, make sure to read GLAAD’s Resource Kit.

Video Coverage

  • Channel 9 News (NBC) – Transgender murder sparks debate over hate crime laws. Adam Chodak reports.

  • Channel 9 News (NBC) – Transgender murder trial could spark national conversation. Cheryl Preheim reports.

  • Channel 9 News (NBC) – Question before jury: Intentional or impulse? Adam Chodak reports.

  • Pam’s House Blend – Voices from the Angie Zapata Family Vigil (April 14, 2009)

Print Coverage

The Denver Post:

The Greeley Tribune:

Channel 9 News (NBC):

The New York Times:

The Colorado Independent:

Public News Service:

AP:

Blog Coverage

The Bilerico Project:

Pam’s House Blend:

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The Angie Zapata Murder Trial Begins

April 17, 2009

On Thursday afternoon, the jury was finally selected after two and a half days, and attorneys from the prosecution and the defense presented opening statements in the Angie Zapata murder trial.

The courtroom was filled to capacity, mostly by people there to show support for the Zapata family. Court officials reserve about a quarter of the courtroom seats for media – and they were filled to capacity as well. The best count were that there were four television reporters, two online media reporters, and six print reporters present to hear opening statements.

Autumn Sandeen, of Pam s House Blend, blogging from the courthouse

Autumn Sandeen, of Pam s House Blend, blogging from the courthouse

It was interesting to note the amount of real-time reporting from the courtroom. In Session was streaming opening statements on CNN.com – and joining Autumn Sandeen of Pam’s House Blend Tweeting from the courtroom was Sharon Dunn of The Greeley Tribune. The Denver Channel (ABC 7) and Westword live-blogged the opening statements.

The New York Times wrote a story about the trial, which appeared in print today. The Associated Press and Denver Post also covered the opening statements.

One thing was reported similarly by all the different media outlets: both District Attorney Ken Buck’s office and the defense team agree on one thing – Angie Zapata was brutally beaten to death, her skull was smashed in, and Allen Andrade was the killer.

The prosecution promised to present evidence that Andrade knew that Angie was a transgender woman for at least 36 hours before he killed her.

As an outsider who has grown close to the Zapata family, it was difficult to watch them as they heard the prosecution re-tell the last hours of Angie’s life and the moments when her body was discovered. The image that the prosecution showed during opening statements of Angie’s lifeless body – barely recognizable because of the blunt force trauma inflicted by Andrade’s fire-extinguisher attack on her head – left no doubt about how awful her last moments were.

The picture seemed to affect everyone in the room. Jurors tried to look stoic, and the family tried to contain their emotion – but there was anguish in people’s eyes. This 18-year-old daughter, sister, aunt, and friend did not deserve this type of horrific death. No one does. Clearly, the picture affected me too.

The trial resumed this morning, despite threats of a snow storm late last night. You can follow the trial on line in real time at www.twitter.com/justiceforangie or www.angiezapata.com.

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Opening Statements Expected Thursday in Angie Zapata Murder Trial

April 16, 2009

Jury selection continued on the second day of the Angie Zapata murder trial. Weld County, Colo. is finding that it is a long process to seat an impartial jury in this highly visible landmark hate crime prosecution in the first degree murder of a transgender person.

As they work to identify potential jurors, the court and District Attorney’s office have been helpful and accommodating, and court personnel have made preparations for the safety and comfort for the large groups of people attending the trial.

TruTV set up outside the Weld County Courthouse

TruTV set up outside the Weld County Courthouse

Jury selection continued throughout the day on Wednesday and will likely wrap up Thursday morning, with opening statements expected to begin sometime around lunchtime. Given the number of jurors in the courtroom, the only people in the room for jury selection are potential jurors and essential court employees.

Tomorrow, as the number of jurors is winnowed to the final panel, others will gain access to the court room to watch the proceedings.

Regardless of the lull in courtroom drama, the media kept a close eye on the day’s events, with reporters hovering around the courtroom throughout the day. A peak in media attention is expected when the opening statements begin on Thursday.

TruTV, led by reporter Beth Karas, will broadcast the entire case live, either during their “In Session” television coverage or streaming live online. Furthermore, Tuesday’s vigil received widespread media coverage statewide, including a very well written piece in The Greeley Tribune.

Kelly Costello, CAVP, being interviewed about the trial by Denver Channel 4

Many are expecting that the defense team will be implementing a “blame the victim” strategy to imply that Angie somehow had responsibility for her own murder. GLAAD will be working to ensure that the media does not co-opt this deceptive and ill-assigned responsibility.

Pam’s House Blend will be tweeting throughout the trial, giving essential updates in real-time, with hash tag “justiceforangie.” GLAAD will continue to post daily updates from the trial with highlights of media coverage of this landmark murder trial.

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Media Coverage of the Angie Zapata Murder Trial

April 15, 2009

As the trial in the murder of Angie Zapata begins, GLAAD will be monitoring local and national media for coverage of the trial and of Angie’s story.

Below is a collection of media spanning from the tragic news of Angie’s murder through recent coverage of her alleged murderer’s trial. As the trial progresses, we will continue posting more of the media coverage here at glaadBLOG.

For more information on Angie’s story, visit www.angiezapata.com. If you are a journalist covering the trial, make sure to read GLAAD’s Resource Kit.

Video Coverage

Channel 9 News (NBC) – Angie Zapata Murder Investigation

The Greeley Tribune – Greeley Police Chief Jerry Garner and Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck speak at a press conference on the arrest of Allen Ray Andrade, Angie Zapata’s alleged murderer

The Greeley Tribune – The Zapata family speaks out about the death of Angie Zapata

ProgressNOW Colorado – Angie Zapata’s story: Let’s end hate together

Print Coverage

The Denver Post:

ABC.com:

The Greeley Tribune:

USA Today (AP):

The New York Times:

The Colorado Independent: 

Channel 7 News (ABC):

Blog Coverage

Pam’s House Blend:

TransGriot:

The Bilerico Project: 

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GLAAD Reports from the Angie Zapata Murder Trial

April 15, 2009

GLAAD Media Field Strategist Adam Bass is in Greeley, Colo. as the trial in the murder of Angie Zapata begins, working alongside local advocacy organizations on the ground to coordinate local media efforts and support Zapata’s family and friends. Angie Zapata was an 18-year-old transgender woman who was brutally murdered in her own home last July – and the trial for the man accused of murdering her began Tuesday, April 14.

The man who allegedly murdered Angie goes on trial for premeditated murder this week. He also faces a hate crimes charge, the first time such a charge has been leveled against a defendant in the case of a murdered transgender person – in Colorado and the nation.

Colorado media outlets, as well as some national media, have been reporting on Angie Zapata and this murder trial.

Angie Zapata s family gathers for a vigil in her honor Tuesday in Greeley, Colo.

Angie Zapata s family gathers for a vigil in her honor Tuesday in Greeley, Colo.

Tuesday, in Greeley, was no different. Locals, led by the Lambda Center of Fort Collins, gathered for a brief candlelight vigil in a downtown Greeley park. They gathered to show support to the family as the trial begins. Speakers included retired Pastor Steve Brown of Greeley and Andy Stoll of the Lambda Center.

Monica Zapata, Angie’s older sister, also spoke, surrounded by many other family members.  Monica remembered Angie as “beautiful.” She said that Angie would be happy to see that the community was coming together to “change the world” and make it a better place for other transgender people to live.

Over 60 people gathered in the park to show support to the family, and the event ended a busy news day. Denver television stations CBS 4 Denver, ABC 7 News, NBC 9News and Fox 31 KDVR, as well as Greeley’s Channel 5, filed reports from the opening day of court.

Angie Zapata

Angie Zapata

TruTV is covering the entire trial. Denver Post and Greeley Tribune reporters were also at the court house, while Pam’s House Blend contributor Autumn Sandeen will be live blogging and using Twitter throughout the trial. The first day of the trial consisted of jury selection, and it is expected that opening statements in the trial will be presented on Thursday.

GLAAD is on the ground to work with the media as they cover this trial – to ensure that Angie’s story is told fairly, accurately and inclusively, and that the story of Angie’s life isn’t lost in the coverage of her murder.

To find out more about Angie Zapata and her life, visit www.angiezapata.com

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