"Woman"
Hendry County investigators identified 23-year-old Slater several days after recovering her body from her burned vehicle, CBS Fort Myers affiliate WINK reports. Captain Susan Harelle said the body was burned beyond recognition. The investigation is ongoing and the Sheriff's Office said it could not be confirmed as a hate crime until a clear motive is found. But Love's best friend, Kenard Wade, said Slater was targeted as a member of the LGBTQ community.
"She had a really, really good heart," Wade told Wink. "She would never harm anyone, never put anyone in harm's way. How could someone go to that extreme to get rid of her?"
Note to sherlocks: That wording of that last statement by Mr. Wade is actually so off base it should ring an alarm bell in the even the least experienced interrogator or psychiatrist. Anyway...
According to Wade, Slater had received threats the night of the fire. She told him over text that she wanted to leave town to avoid trouble.
"Bee love was kind to everyone she came in contact with and her presence touched me for just the four months that I shared with her was amazing!" Dezmond Bass, who helped coordinate Slater's candlelight vigil, wrote on Facebook.
Slater's death highlights an ongoing trend of violence against transgender people. Slater is the 18th known transgender woman to be murdered this year, the HRC said. Last year, at least 26 transgender people were killed; in 2017, that number reached a record high of at least 29 deaths.
Florida's hate crime laws do not specifically support transgender individuals and there are no protections at the federal level. The Trump administration continues to roll back key safeguards for the LGBTQ community.
Like subsidized fire retardant gel and pink boob plate armor ?
| Sigh...go read the rest of this twisted lament at the link. |