A Colorado man is
accused of fatally battering a sex partner with a fire
extinguisher after discovering that his companion was a
transgender woman.
Allen Ray
Andrade, 31, faces several charges, including second-degree
murder, in the death of Justin Zapata, 20, who was known as
Angie Zapata. The victim's bloodied, battered body was
discovered in her apartment by her sister on July 17.
Weld County
district attorney Ken Buck said Wednesday that he is
considering filing first-degree murder charges and may
prosecute the death as a hate crime.
Andrade was
arrested in the Denver suburb of Thornton, where he lives.
Police responding to a noise complaint found him in Zapata's
2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser, which had been missing.
Andrade told
investigators that he met Zapata through MocoSpace, a social
network designed primarily for cell phone users, according
to an arrest affidavit released by Greeley police. The
two met July 15 and spent the day together.
Andrade told
investigators that Zapata performed oral sex on him but
wouldn't let him touch her, according to the affidavit.
He said he also
spent the night at Zapata's apartment, but in separate
beds. The next day, Zapata left Andrade alone in her
apartment, and Andrade noticed several photographs
that led him to question Zapata's gender.
Andrade
confronted Zapata when she got back. He grabbed Zapata's
crotch area, felt male genitalia and became angry, the
affidavit says. He told investigators that he took a
fire extinguisher off a shelf, struck Zapata twice in
the head, and thought he ''killed it.''
''It's
disgusting,'' Greeley, Colo., police chief Jerry Garner said
of Andrade's reference to Zapata. ''It's a horrible
thing to say.''
Andrade told
investigators he covered Zapata with a blanket and started
gathering evidence he thought might link him to the crime
when he heard gurgling sounds and noticed Zapata was
sitting up. That's when he picked up the fire
extinguisher and hit her again, police said. He left the
scene in her car.
Zapata's sister,
Monica Murguia, couldn't be reached for comment on
Andrade's arrest. She told Denver's KDVR-TV that Andrade
deserved to remain behind bars forever.
''He took a part
of our heart, he did, when he killed her,'' she said
after reading the arrest affidavit.
A guard at the
jail said information about whether Andrade had an
attorney was not available. There was no telephone listing
for him in Thornton. (P. Solomon Banda, AP)
