|| News ||
Page 1 of 1

Transgender Woman Murdered in Puerto Rico


Ashley Santiago Ocasiox180 (Puerto Rico) | Advocate.com

Ashley Santiago Ocasio was found dead in her home in Puerto Rico last week, raising concerns of increasing hate crimes against transgender women on the Caribbean island.

Santiago, a 31-year-old beauty salon owner, was shot in the head in the central mountain town of Corozal, the Associated Press reports. Although her car was missing, no signs of a break-in were apparent. Her killer remains at large.

“The grisly scene at Santiago's home raised suspicion that she may have been targeted because of her gender identity,” reports the AP. “A common characteristic of hate crime killings is excessive violence done to the victim, and there was so much blood spattered on the walls and floors that police initially believed Santiago had been stabbed repeatedly.”

Police have yet to determine whether the evidence warrants investigating the murder as a hate crime. An autopsy is pending.

Gay teenager Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado was found decapitated and burned in another small town in Puerto Rico in November. His killer, who confessed to stabbing Lopez after he discovered he was a man, faces a charge of first-degree murder, but he is not charged with a hate crime.

Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Facebook. Page 1 of 1
Reader Comments
  • Name: David
    Date posted: 4/29/2010 8:43:40 PM
    Hometown: Los Angeles

    Comment:

    Referring to Puerto Rico as a shit hole because a crime was committed shows where Ray Flemming head is...YOUR FROM MISSISSIPPI!

  • Name: Ray Fleming
    Date posted: 4/26/2010 8:49:57 PM
    Hometown: Jackson, MS

    Comment:

    Not that you ever hear of anyone going there anyway but we need to openly call for a boycott of this shit hole. Trying to hit them in the pocketbook is all we can do to get their attention and stop this from happening again.

  • Name: Ginelle
    Date posted: 4/26/2010 7:04:28 PM
    Hometown: British Columbia, Canada

    Comment:

    Another tragic loss at the hands of hate!



Don't Miss
  • Best of Broadway Smash: Why You Will Love It

    Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, two of the producers of NBC’s new critically acclaimed musical series, explain why the backstage drama of creating a musical about Marilyn Monroe has mass appeal and why big stars like Anjelica Huston, Uma Thurman, Bernadette Peters, and Nick Jonas were eager to appear in it.

  • Best of Broadway How Broadway Does a Flea Market

    Find out why actress Kathleen Chalfant calls the annual Flea Market and Grand Auction in Times Square "the most glamorous flea market you've ever seen." It raised half a million dollars to fight HIV/AIDS.

  • Travel Slideshow Flag Gayest Cities in America, 2012

    It's no secret that megalopolises New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles have robust LGBT life — and we've even heard tell of little queer hoods like the Castro and P-Town. This isn't that list.

 
 
Advocate Subscribe Promo Banner 300x50
 
Follow Us Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterSubscribe to our RSS feedsDownload our app
Facebook Activity
 
COVER 1055 X135 | ADVOCATE.COM
Today's Headlines