- May 21, 2023
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Beto Lopez, Gwens childhood friend, remembered sneaking out of the house in their hometown of Newark to go to San Francisco Pride with Gwen in 2000. Vigils and marches seeking justice for Araujo were held in several San Francisco Bay Area cities. All Rights Reserved. As they were burying her, the men continued to disparage her. The men would later claim during the trial that they were driven to a fit of rage after learning that Gwen, who two of the men had slept with, was biologically male. Late in the night, the men demanded that Araujo drop her pants to prove she was not a man. The other two defendants pleaded guilty or no-contest to voluntary manslaughter. Prospective jurors were asked if they knew any lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender people; whether they knew any recently married same-sex couples; whether they had met any transgender people; or whether they had seen a "movie or theatrical performance depicting the activities of a transgender person". Araujo's funeral is held at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Newark. Seventeen states now have bans on the use of gay and trans panic defenses. July 4, 1999 At age 14, Eddie tells his mom. For the uninitiated, Araujo was a 17-year-old trans woman from Newark, California. Araujo attended a party at the house Jos Merl shared with his younger brother, Manny, and his older brother Paul, who also had previously engaged in sexual acts with Gwen. Today marks the tenth anniversary of the brutal murder of transgender teenager Gwen Araujo in Newark, California. On the night of Oct. 3, 2002, Araujo attended a party at a house rented by Jos and Paul Merl. The four accused of the murder were: Michael Magidson, 22; Jaron Nabors, 19; Jos Merl, 22; and Paul Merl, Jose's older brother. Prosecuting attorney Lamiero used male pronouns and her birth name to refer to Araujo, saying the defendants had decided "that the wages of [Gwen] Araujo's sin of deception were death". Guerrero has been unable to return to work and now shuffles her belongings from relatives' houses using a borrowed car from her friend. [46] Magidson's attorney said that his client was not biased[47] but had been shocked "beyond reason" to learn he had unwittingly had sex with a "man": a variant of the gay panic defense. [Gwen] lived every day of her life yearning and longing to be a girl in every sense of the word, so if anyone who didn't know her made her feel that way, why would she reveal that she is transgender? Nicole Brown, Paul Merl and Emmanual Merl left the house while Araujo was still bleeding in the living room. Gwens mother is one of the victims that transphobic violence leaves behind. The ABC7 Originals documentary, "Being Gwen: A Life and Death Story," focuses on the struggles she faced early in life, her gender transition as a young teenager, and the tragic events in October 2002 that led to her death. Michael Magidson and Jos Merl were sentenced to 15 years to life for killing Gwen Araujo. Eddie then began transitioning as a woman and called herself Gwen, after her favorite singer Gwen Stefani.According to court testimony, Araujo, whom the men knew a Lida, engaged in sexual . [30], Magidson testified that it was instead Nabors who strangled her and struck her with the shovel,[32] and Cazares testified that he never struck her and did not see her die. In life, Gwen dreamed of being a part of San Franciscos transgender community and its history. [12] Later, she engaged in oral sex with Magidson and anal sex with Merl. The Alameda County coroner's report said Araujo died by strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head. The four defendants in the murder of Gwen Araujo are being sentenced to prison on January 27, 2006. Guerrero always knew Gwens relationship to her gender was different from other kids. Her mother recalls they both cried a lot that night but she eventually told her daughter she would support her transition. NEWARK, Calif. (KGO) -- She was killed 20 years ago. Her mother found it to be odd but did not put much thought into it. However, the autopsy showed that she died from strangulation associated with blunt force trauma to the head. [78][79][80] AB 2501 was introduced by Assemblywoman Susan A. Bonilla in partnership with Equality California. HANDOUT PHOTO ALSO RAN 10/22/02, 11/19/02, 12/22/02, 10/4/2003, Emmanuel Merel, the younger brother of defendant Jose Merel, testifies in the Eddie "Gwen" Araujo murder trial in Alameda Superior Court Thursday, April 21, 2004, in Hayward, Calif. Emmanuel testified that he tried to push the teenager out the door to safety in the chaos that followed the discovery of Araujo's gender. [36], After he was arrested, Nabors wrote a letter to a girlfriend in which he stated the defendants had discussed a "Soprano-type plan" to "kill the b and get rid of her body". NEWARK, Calif., -- The murder of Gwen Araujo in 2002 marked a turning point in the fight for transgender rights. Im kind of worried Ill get pulled over, she said, bent over and laughing, but I roll deep with angels.. Sylvia Guerrero had never heard the word transgender until four men murdered her daughter. He said that he didnt understand the depths of what he had done until his own daughter, who was gravely disabled, died in 2011, said Alameda County Assistant District Attorney Jill Klinge. age: 17 yrs 7 mos 7 days ~~~ Edward Gwen Araujo, Jr. of Newark entered into rest Thursday, October 3, 2002. Gwen Araujo was born on February 24, 1985, in Brawley, California, to Edward Araujo and Sylvia Guerrero. During a police interrogation, Nabors went into detail about what happened and who was involved. Later, when asked why he hadn't done something more to push Araujo out of the doorway, Emmanuel Merel answered, "I gave in. Most people in their neighborhood called her mom.. Jos Merl testified and admitted he was ignorant about his thinking about sexuality at the time of the murder. [15][16], Nicole Brown, who was dating Paul Merl (Jos's older brother) and was acquainted with Araujo, said that she and Araujo had engaged in a physical fight after Brown challenged Araujo to strip for the men. It had deadlocked on Cazares, voting 93 in favor of convicting him for murder. The murder also brought disdain from far-right religious groups who condemned Araujo for living as a transgender woman. Jerry Brown. Eddie then began transitioning as a woman and called herself Gwen, after her favorite singer Gwen Stefani.According to court testimony, Araujo, whom the men knew a Lida, engaged in sexual . Watch the ABC7 Originals documentary, "Being Gwen: A Life and Death Story," streaming now in the video player below. [6] [17], In the early morning hours of October 4, Magidson asked Araujo to reveal her sex or allow him to touch her genitals, which she refused. She was calm about it.. Earlier Thursday, Emmanuel Merel, 22, testified that he had stayed in his room for most of the night on Oct. 3, 2002, instead of partying with the others. Gwen Araujo was a transgender teenager from the SF Bay Area who was killed 20 years ago by men who claimed they were deceived by her sexual identity. [30] At some point, the assault resumed. [65][66], At the request of Guerrero, a judge posthumously changed the victim's legal name to Gwen Amber Rose Araujo on June 23, 2004. [61], Jos Merl was granted parole in 2016 with the support of Sylvia Guerrero. Magidson, Jos Merl, Cazares and Nabors then drove four hours to the Silver Forks campground in El Dorado National Forest to buy Araujo's body. On the evening of October 3rd, she attended a house party with a number of other people, including Jaron Nabors, Michael Madison, Paul Merel, and his brother Jose Merel. Nabors agreed to testify against his friends in exchange for a reduced manslaughter charge. Feb. 24, 1985At age 14, Eddie tells his mom that he feels like a girl trapped in a boy's body. [4][5] In some contemporary news reports and during the first trial of the perpetrators, Gwen Araujo was misgendered and referred to by her deadname. Nabors said Cazares and Magidson had first brought Araujo, whom the group knew as an attractive 19-year-old named "Lida," to the Merel home in late August or early September 2002. [8] Police did not initially take the missing persons case seriously partly because she was transgender,[9] and she was known to stay away from home overnight. Magidson, Jos Merl and Nabors were arraigned for Araujo's murder in a Fremont courtroom. Make Muse | For Smart + Creative Young Women. [9], On the first anniversary of the murder, Horizons Foundation created the Gwen Araujo Memorial Fund for Transgender Education. [8] She began to grow her hair long and planned to undergo hormone treatment and surgery. [17] After half an hour, during which Jos Merl later confessed he had sex with Araujo, Brown went to the bathroom, where she discovered Araujo had male genitalia during a forced inspection. [61][81], Michael Magidson said he was not ready for release at his parole board hearing in 2016, and his request for parole was also opposed by Guerrero. "It is for this witness' safety," Sheppard said, during a meeting with journalists in his office. Some call her mom., She didnt die in vain. [75][76][77] The law put California on record as declaring it contrary to public policy for defendants to be acquitted or convicted of a lesser included offense on the basis of appeals to "societal bias". Gwen Amber Rose Araujo was a teenager who lived in Newark, California. [69] The fund was closed sometime before September 2020. We have a long way to go before a trans person can be free to live their lives, to live out their dreams and goals like they deserve.. Magidson also testified and under cross-examination said he received oral sex from Araujo the night she was killed. According to court testimony, Araujo, whom the men knew a Lida, engaged in sexual activity with Michael Magidson and Jos Merl. Nobody reported the murder of Gwen Araujo. [25][31] Nabors testified that Magidson's assault was so severe it left a dent in the wall and cracked the plaster. His first parole board hearing had just gotten underway in Chowchilla on Wednesday when he told the parole board he needed more self-help, including drug and alcohol treatment. Four men brutally murdered her. They had met her walking in the middle of the street, drinking a beer. 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