Mother of Murdered Gay Teen Dies

Denise King, mother of Simmie Williams Jr., the gay Fort Lauderdale teenager who was murdered in February 2008, died suddenly on New Year's Eve at the age of 40.

King, who became an advocate against violence toward LGBT people after her son's death, collapsed in her apartment in Fort Lauderdale two hours before midnight on Thursday, according to TheMiami Herald'sSteve Rothaus, who reported the details from Broward County gay activist Michael Emanuel Rajner.

Williams, who was 17 years old and openly gay, was gunned down in Fort Lauderdale on February 22, 2008. The case remains unsolved, but the King family is asking anyone with information to honor Denise's memory by coming forward to authorities.