[58], Lamiero had undermined criminal intent by commenting, "Gwen being transgender was not a provocative act. Jose Merel and Magidson had been sexually intimate with Araujo on other occasions. ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream. Merel, who has expressed remorse from the beginning, admitted Friday that back then he felt more sorry for himself. NEWARK, Calif. (KGO) -- She was killed 20 years ago. The younger brother of one of three men accused of killing a Newark transgender teen testified Thursday that he had tried to rescue Gwen Araujo but had been stopped by one of the men and the prosecution's star witness, who has accepted a plea deal for his role in the death. [2] She was murdered by four men, two of whom she had been sexually intimate with, who beat and strangled her after discovering that she was transgender. Guerrero is the mother of slain transgender teen Gwen Araujo, 17, of Newark. Nabors later testified that Jos Merl said that night, "I swear, if it's a f man, I'm gonna kill him. California becomes the first state in the nation to ban a "trans panic" defense. Especially in today's society, she would have been rejected if not harmed had she been so open about it. With content streaming every single day, readers can turn to The Crime Center to fill their true crime needs. Guerrero also knew her daughter had a drinking problem and brought up rehab. Im kind of worried Ill get pulled over, she said, bent over and laughing, but I roll deep with angels.. Watch the ABC7 Originals documentary, "Being Gwen: A Life and Death Story," streaming now in the video player below. For the uninitiated, Araujo was a 17-year-old trans woman from Newark, California. Some of the trans people say they were thinking of committing suicide before seeing Gwens story. Sylvia is the mother of Gwen Araujo. Only 17 years old at the time of her death, today Gwen would be a 27-year-old young woman had her life not been brutally taken by four men who discovered she was born male. NEWARK, Calif., -- The murder of Gwen Araujo in 2002 marked a turning point in the fight for transgender rights. I have a family. He is expected to resume testimony Monday. Sunseri said. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Below is a timeline of how Gwen's life and death unfolded. Today shes an admired activist for transgender causes, even though the horror of Gwens fate has upended her life. In high school, Gwen would regularly ask Guerrero to give her friends advice on their relationships and drama at school. SFs most important stories, delivered straight to your inbox, Sylvia Guerrero, whose transgender daughter Gwen Araujo was murdered in 2002, sits for a portrait with a photo of her daughter on Saturday, Oct.1, 2022, in Tracy, Calif. Araujo, who spent a lot of time in San Francisco as a teenager, was beaten and strangled to death in Newark, Calif., when she was 17 years old. Police arrest a fourth suspect in Araujo's murder, Jason Cazares. One night Gwen decided to go to a nearby house party. "It is for this witness' safety," Sheppard said, during a meeting with journalists in his office. Loving son to Sylvia Guerrero of Newark and Edward Araujo of Brawley. Analysts compared the strategy to the "gay panic" defense. The day after the mistrial, a judge grants a request by the mother of Gwen Araujo to legally change her name from Edward Araujo Jr. to Gwen Amber Rose Araujo. She and Guerrero shared a deep love for the city for that reason, and in the year leading up to her murder, Gwen came to the city almost every weekend. [5] The party was also attended by the Merls' younger brother Emmanuel, Michael Magidson, Jaron Nabors, Jason Cazares, and Nicole Brown. Guerrero sees her daughters legacy firsthand each time the Lifetime movie, A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Storyairs. The second trial began on May 31, 2005. [12], Jos Merl vomited upon learning Araujo was anatomically male, then began to cry in disbelief,[23] saying "I can't be f gay. Gwen loved going to the city because she could be herself there.. On Tuesday, Sylvia Guerrero will step into the spotlight once again to keep her daughters legacy alive. And Im still learning.. [60], Gwen Araujo was mourned in a public funeral at St. Edwards Catholic Church in Newark on October 25, 2002. Manny later testified that he tried to get Araujo out of the house but was stopped by the other men. The law, signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs the Gwen Araujo Justice for Victims Act. Nabors testified that Magidson strangled her with a rope and that Cazares struck her with a shovel,[11] but Nabors was returning from the garage and did not actually witness the act of strangulation. She cant afford the surgery to remove an IUD that should have been taken out in 2005 and has painfully embedded itself in her uterus. The other two defendants pleaded guilty or no-contest to voluntary manslaughter. Nobody reported the murder of 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 . Michael Magidson and Jos Merl were sentenced to 15 years to life for killing Gwen Araujo. [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". Her depression, anxiety and PTSD are so debilitating, Guerrero hasnt been able to find a full-time job. We still have a long way to go, because people like Gwen are still being murdered for whothey are and theresfamilies who are suffering like we are, said Guerrero, 52. Araujo's remains are cremated. Get the support you need. Araujo's funeral is held at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Newark. NEWARK, Calif. - The 2002 murder of Gwen Araujo marked a turning point in the fight for transgender rights. Loves to Read. She frequently encounters psychological triggers that derail her days. Magidson testified that Nabors admitted he had strangled Araujo. The four defendants in the murder of Gwen Araujo are being sentenced to prison on January 27, 2006. Nicole Brown, Paul Merl and Emmanual Merl left the house while Araujo was still bleeding in the living room. [25] Jos Merl became concerned that Araujo was bleeding on the couch and ordered her off it. Her mother released 17 butterflies in her memory. I feel like a freak.". Investigators got Nabors' friend to wear a wire and record Nabors talking about the murder. It instructed jurors not to let bias against a victim's gender identity or sexual orientation influence their decisions. Cherished brother to Pearl and Jesus Serrano of CA, Rachel Araujo of Bakersfield, Brandon Guerrero-Bacot of Newark and Michael West of Newark. 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. I went to high school with you, and you were on the football team. [14], Nabors pleaded guilty on February 24, 2003, to a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, which carried an 11-year prison sentence, along with a promise to testify against the other three defendants. [33], Two days after Araujo was reported missing, a friend of Jaron Nabors described him as appearing distraught. They jury deadlocked once again on Cazares, but this time 9-3 in favor of a conviction. It was raining. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. At first, she didnt know how to talk about it. Fred Phelps and the members of Phelps's Westboro Baptist Church ( who also made an appearance in our last article) promised to picket the funeral but thankfully did not. [6] The four accused of the murder were: Michael Magidson, 22; Jaron Nabors, 19; Jos Merl, 22; and Paul Merl, Jose's older brother. Cherished brother to Pearl and Jesus Serrano of CA, Rachel Araujo of Bakersfield, Brandon Guerrero-Bacot of Newark and Michael West of. Gwen Araujo murder 14 years later: Transgender, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), ACE train service cancelled after more mudslides at Niles Canyon, Gwen Araujo murder 14 years later: Transgender teens killers face parole. If you or a loved one are experiencing a mental health crisis and need to connect with a qualified LGBTQ+ crisis responder. I can never make up for the time we lost as Ive struggled to deal with the grief that began that night.. After several encounters, the men grew suspicious about why she wouldn't let the men touch her parts of her body. [8] Nabors had confessed to a friend what the four had done shortly after returning from the grave site. She was loving, vibrant, and beautiful. [37][38] Cazares had been identified as a potential witness on October 22. The messages offer a glimpse into the government crackdown that spurred a UN probe into human rights abuses. [7] Besides English, Jogia speaks some Gujarati and French. Her mother found it to be odd but did not put much thought into it. He took the stand Thursday afternoon -- his 21st birthday -- and described how, the first night he met Araujo that summer, he had gotten the "crazy idea" she might have been a man. Years later, Jerry Brown signed legislation as governor that banned the defense strategy altogether. [30] After this, the defendants' testimonies diverge. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. The letter was intercepted by sheriff's officials[15] and led to the arrest of Cazares on November 19. Araujo's murder was compared to the brutal death of Matthew Shepard four years earlier in Laramie, Wyoming. He is the younger brother of Ketan, a music producer in London. [7], Araujo came out as transgender in 1999 at the age of 14, and began using the name Gwen after her favorite musician, Gwen Stefani, but also went by Wendy and Lida. [34] Confronted with the recording, Nabors agreed to lead authorities to the body[30] on October 15. Gwen Araujo was a 17-year-old transgender woman from Newark, California. Cherished brother to Pearl and Jesus Serrano of C Initial coverage by several news media outlets described the victim as a cross-dressing man. [58] After the trial, one of the jurors stated in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle that the murder conviction was because "The community standard is not and cannot be that killing is something a reasonable person would have done that night" but not hate crimes since the murder was believed to have been committed not because Araujo was transgender, but to "cover up a situation that had gotten out of control". Gwen Araujo was beaten to death by a group of men, two of them ex-lovers of hers, when they found out she used to be a he. 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. [29] The final votes were 102 in favor of acquitting Merl and Cazares of first-degree murder, and 75 in favor of convicting Magidson of first-degree murder. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Merl was confident that charges would be dropped. Cazares and Nabors were also at the house, as was Paul Merl's girlfriend, Nicole Brown. Now its a huge trans event that kicks off the San Francisco Pride weekend. "My mom is stuck in her own grief," said Sunseri, who fought back tears about the impact Araujo's murder had on her mother. When youre in a big family, youre either going to want a bunch of kids or youre not going to want any, she said. On October 4, 2002, four young men brutally murdered a beautiful, 17-year-old transgender teenager named Gwen Araujo. Now, I express how I feel like she did.. I was not perfect, Guerrero said, reflecting on that moment decades later. San Mateo County could soon expand direct cash payments to some of its poorest residents, Pittsburg could soon see road and school crosswalk improvements, Opinion: What I learned about myself at the Richard Nixon Library, USC uses defense to upset No. 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. She is born with male genitalia and raised as a boy by her family, who call her Eddie. Traumatized by her daughters murder in the East Bay city of Newark, the ensuing trials and an onslaught of invasive media attention, Guerrero has had a hard time finding a job. Araujo was born with male genitalia but her immediate family noticed early on. If you or a loved one are experiencing a mental health crisis and need to connect with a qualified LGBTQ+ crisis responder. They had met her walking in the middle of the street, drinking a beer. [9][10] Her older sister said that she was bullied in junior high school because of her voice and bearing. Socially Sad and Mentally Arrogant: Boys Locker Room, The AFL-CIO must end union representation of law enforcement. We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. But I trust juries to understand that people don't get to make life or death decisions simply based on someone's lifestyle. She was cremated, and her mother Sylvia Guerrero retained the urn with her ashes. All Rights Reserved. [48] During his testimony, Nabors said he felt his friends had been raped, since Araujo (whom he referred to as male) "did not come clean with being what he really was. Guerrero looked after her 10 younger siblings while her parents worked, getting them ready for school and packing their lunches. The four who were initially arrested and accused of the murder were Magidson (age 22); Nabors (19), Jos Merl (22), and Paul Merl. In her third year of living as a woman, Araujo began hanging out with several men that she met in the late summer of 2002. I don't think most jurors are going to think it's OK to engage someone in sexual activity knowing they assume you have one sexual anatomy when you don't. I think it was toxic anyway, keeping all those emotions in. Gwens mother is one of the victims that transphobic violence leaves behind. ", HAYWARD / Suspect's brother says he tried to aid Araujo / He testifies others blocked him from rescuing victim. In 2010, then-Gov. [63] Cazares asked to begin serving his sentence after the birth of his third child, scheduled for March or April 2006, which was granted,[53] although Lamiero noted "it's difficult for me to entertain a request like that when Gwen Araujo is dead". LGBTQ+ resources are available: abc7news.com/TakeAction. ] and led to the brutal death of Matthew Shepard four years earlier in Laramie,.. 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