Two Trans Women Murdered In Puerto Rico
Two trans women were found murdered in Puerto Rico. Serena Angelique Velázquez and Layla Pelaez’s bodies were found in a car under a bridge, while reports indicate they had both been previously shot. The car had been set on fire with the bodies of the two women inside.
El Comité Amplio para la Búsqueda de la Equidad, a coalition of Puerto Rican LGBTQ advocacy groups known by the acronym CABE issued a statement urging authorities to treat the murders as hate crimes.
“We urge the police to adequately, immediately and with sensitivity investigate these vile and atrocious murders of Serena Angelique Velázquez and Layla Pelaez,” said CABE spokesperson Ivana Fred in a press release.
According to the ‘Washington Blade’, Puerto Rico Police is trying to identify and interview those who might have seen the two women before they were killed. Captain Teddy Morales of the Puerto Rico Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Unit in Humacao said that investigators have not yet identified a possible motive.
Since the beginning of the year two more trans people have been murdered in Puerto Rico.
“Four members of the trans community have been murdered in Puerto Rico within the past two months,” tweeted former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who was born in Puerto Rico, on Wednesday. “The community demands that the police department seriously investigate these heinous murders.”
Read related myGwork articles here:
Trans Woman Murdered In Baltimore
A Trans Woman Was Burned To Death In Indonesia And Suspects Are Not Charged With Murder
A Trans Woman Has Been Stabbed To Death In NYC
Trans Woman Was Shot While Receiving Treatment In Ambulance
Trans Woman Killed In Puerto Rico After Using Women's Bathroom
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