Convictions Upheld in Colorado Transgender Murder

In a ruling Thursday, the Colorado Court of Appeals upheld the 2009 convictions of Allen Andrade for the hate-motivated murder of Angie Zapata.

In a case that drew national attention because it was believed to be the first to charge a suspect with murder as a hate crime based on gender identity, Andrade was convicted of first-degree murder and other counts for beating 18-year-old Angie Zapata to death with a fire extinguisher after learning she was transgender.

According to defense attorneys, Andrade had hooked up with Zapata for sex but then snapped after learning she was biologically male.

In his appeal, a lawyer for Andrade argued that jurors should have been informed that the suspect was intoxicated during the murder and that a fire extinguisher found along a highway should not have been admitted into evidence.

The appeals court, however, ruled that the trial court acted appropriately.

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