Araujo's family hears rumors about the confrontation and provide information to police, who then get a friend of Nabors to wear a wire from which they record Nabors talking about the murder. Araujo was born with male genitalia but her immediate family noticed early on. It was raining. She held her gaze as tears welled in her eyes. The four accused of the murder were: Michael Magidson, 22; Jaron Nabors, 19; Jos Merl, 22; and Paul Merl, Jose's older brother. Theywere convicted at thesecond of two trials and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. On their way home, they purchased breakfast at a McDonald's drive-through window. NEWARK19E-C-18OCT02-MT-HO At the sentencing of the suspects, Araujo's mother, Sylvia Guerrero, said that the murder and court process (which lasted three years) had taken an emotional toll on her and that it had affected her relationship with her children. The men became suspicious that Araujo was not biologically female because she did not let them touch her genitalia. Nabors, testifying for the prosecution, stated that Magidson admitted to strangling Araujo. [56], On September 12, after a week of deliberation, the jury announced its verdicts. [7] Rumors reached her family that a girl who had been outed as transgender at a party had been killed and buried in Tahoe,[7] and her aunt called the police on October 9 to pass on the story. Jaron Nabors pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter and agrees to testify against his three friends in exchange for an 11 year prison term. Nabors took the stand under tight security. Emmanuel Merel said he later had left the house with his older brother, Paul Merel, and the brother's girlfriend, Nicole Brown. Later, when asked why he hadn't done something more to push Araujo out of the doorway, Emmanuel Merel answered, "I gave in. age: 17 yrs 7 mos 7 days ~~~ Edward Gwen Araujo, Jr. of Newark entered into rest Thursday, October 3, 2002. They jury deadlocked once again on Cazares, but this time 9-3 in favor of a conviction. 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[53], To avoid a third trial, Cazares pleaded no contest to manslaughter on December 16, 2005,[60] and was sentenced to six years in prison,[61] with credit for time already served. Gwen Araujo is born to Sylvia Guerrero and Edward Araujo. The people who alleged to be Araujo's friends often speculated whether or not she was actually a female. [8], Paul Merl was released after Brown and Emmanuel Merl told the police that he had left the scene with them. Eddie then began transitioning as a woman and called herself Gwen, after her favorite singer Gwen Stefani. Emmanuel Merel testified he tried to get Araujo out of the house but was stopped by the other men. Feb. 24, 1985At age 14, Eddie tells his mom that he feels like a girl trapped in a boy's body. She was loving, vibrant, and beautiful. An estimated 3,000 marched from Dolores Park to Civic Center where a rally was held. [24][25] He then proceeded to punch her in the face, knocking her to the ground, and put her in a chokehold, but he was pulled off by others. The story of Gwen's life has been celebrated and kept alive . The San Francisco Standard. Socially Sad and Mentally Arrogant: Boys Locker Room, The AFL-CIO must end union representation of law enforcement. Jose Merel hit her in the head with a frying pan and a can of soup. Her face lit up, said Lopez, who came out to Gwen in high school. "I didn't understand. Nicole Brown, Paul Merl and Emmanual Merl left the house while Araujo was still bleeding in the living room. It was just a passing thought, and no one took it seriously, he said. [29], Before the first trial, the prosecuting attorney, Alameda County deputy district attorney Chris Lamiero argued that simply being transgender should not have been a death sentence:[44]. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. [23], She was then placed in the bed of a pick-up truck, and the four men drove her body four hours away, burying her near the Sierra Nevada mountains in a shallow grave in the El Dorado National Forest near Silver Fork Road in El Dorado County. [61] Magidson was denied parole again in September 2019. [15], During the February 2003 indictment proceedings, Nabors gave a detailed account of the murder and burial. Loving son to Sylvia Guerrero of Newark and Edward Araujo of Brawley. The Civic Remembrance and call to action for Gwen Araujo will be held Tuesday, Oct. 4, from 4-6 p.m. at San Francisco Main Librarys Koret Auditorium. She was cremated, and her mother Sylvia Guerrero retained the urn with her ashes. Now at 58, she wears flip-flops and jean shorts. Over the course of the teens life, Guerrero learned how to better support her daughter in a transphobic world. J. Tony Serra, Cazares' attorney, asked Emmanuel Merel why he had not called police the night of the attack. At first, she didn't know how to talk about it. Araujo was eventually strangled to death with a rope, tied up and taken by four of the men -- Jose Merel, Magidson, Cazares and Nabors -- in the back of a pickup truck to a camping area in the El Dorado National Forest where they buried her body. Turn it off, turn it off, turn it off a male is repeating.. Why Are We Indifferent to Male Rape Victims. She transferred to an alternative high school, but did not return for the 200203 academic year. She lost her job and suffers from post-traumatic stress. "Mike and Jaron were in front of the door," Merel testified in a Hayward courtroom. "[17] The four men debated in late September whether Araujo was female, concluding that "something bad could happen" to her if she was not. 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. Jury selection begins for the second trial. Get the support you need. TIMELINE: How the murder of transgender teenager Gwen Araujo unfolded. He is the younger brother of Ketan, a music producer in London. [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. Gwen Amber Rose Araujo was a teenager who lived in Newark, California. [52] To avoid a second mistrial, prosecuting attorney Chris Lamiero argued for a first-degree murder conviction, but gave jurors the option of a second-degree murder conviction for the three, or even manslaughter for Merl. Then while Araujo was in the bathroom, Brown went inside, grabbed her crotch, and reportedly shouted to the group, "It's a man.". Did the men REALLY not know the truth about Gwen? According to court testimony, Araujo, whom the men knew a Lida, engaged in sexual activity with Michael Magidson and Jos Merl. As Judge Harry Sheppard instructed, the verdicts were kept secret. Gwen Araujo was a 17-year-old transgender teenager who lived in Newark, Calif. with her mother, Sylvia Guerrero. Now its a huge trans event that kicks off the San Francisco Pride weekend. They viciously beat and strangled Gwento death at a Newark house party on Oct. 4,2002, after they confirmed she was biologically male. To avoid a third trial, Cazares' lawyer reached an agreement with prosecutors for a manslaughter conviction. Loving son to Sylvia Guerrero of Newark and Edward Araujo of Brawley. Jaron Nabors. I can never make up for the time we lost as Ive struggled to deal with the grief that began that night.. [19], TransVision, a comprehensive health and social services program for transgender people in Alameda County, was founded in 2002 and operated by Tri-City Health Center after the murder of Gwen Araujo. Cazares and Nabors have long been out of custody. She made a promise beside her daughters casket that she would be her voice until people stop dying for who they are. The law, signed by Gov. What Araujo did not know was that these four had already suspected that she was trans, and . Police began to interview the party-goers, and one of them led the police to the Merls' house. Cazares, Magidson, Merl:First trial:MistrialSecond trial: Gwen Amber Rose Araujo (February 24, 1985 October 4, 2002)[1] was an American trans teenager who was murdered in Newark, California at the age of 17. Nabors testified that he stated he "couldn't believe that someone would ever do that, would be that deceitful" and that Jos Merl added "he was so mad he could still kick her a couple more times". 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 . Four men brutally murdered her. Jury selection for the trial of Magidson, Jos Merl, and Cazares began on March 15, 2004. The four who were initially arrested and accused of the murder were Magidson (age 22); Nabors (19), Jos Merl (22), and Paul Merl. Guerrero remembers Araujo telling her, "I don't feel like a boy. Activists decry the decision as a setback for transgender rights. Guerrero foughtthe possible parole of Magidson but supported parole for Merel, while other family members want neither paroled. Many have since forgotten Gwen. This is the life and death story of 17-year-old Gwen Araujo. Merel, who has expressed remorse from the beginning, admitted Friday that back then he felt more sorry for himself. Loving son to Sylvia Guerrero of Newark and Edward Araujo of Brawley. Bamby Salcedo, who went on to establish The TransLatin@ Coalition in Los Angeles, said she was motivated to accept her sexual identity and fight for transgender rights after learning of Araujo's death. At one point, he said, he saw Magidson choking Araujo and pulled Magidson's arm off the victim. For the uninitiated, Araujo was a 17-year-old trans woman from Newark, California. [30] Magidson hit her head against the living room wall with his knee, rendering her unconscious. Guerrero considered Magidson and Jason Cazares the principal actors in the killing. In her death, shes allowed me to see how much I took for granted, Guerrero said. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Her depression, anxiety and PTSD are so debilitating, Guerrero hasnt been able to find a full-time job. [45] In his opening statement, the defense attorney for Magidson argued that he should not be charged with murder, rather manslaughter at worst, under California law. During Magidson's testimony, a tape of his initial interview with the police was shown, in which an investigator was recorded coaching him to use the trans panic defense: "You'd be surprised. Immediately after, she appeared on talk shows and at events with her hair styled, wearing crisp button-downs and leather boots. Gwen loved going to the city because she could be herself there.. 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. Merl refused to answer the prosecutor's questions about how Araujo died. Court adjourned Thursday before Nabors could begin describing the night of the slaying. Nabors and Cazares urged the others to "knock the b out", according to Nabors's testimony. [25] Jos Merl became concerned that Araujo was bleeding on the couch and ordered her off it. Magidson and Merl were each convicted on the charge of second-degree murder,[57] but not convicted of the hate-crime enhancement allegations. On the night of Oct. 3, the men decided to confront Araujo about their suspicions during a party at the house Jose Merel shared with younger brother, Emmanuel, and older brother, Paul, who also previously engaged in sexual acts with Araujo. Guerrero is the mother of slain transgender teen Gwen Araujo, 17, of Newark. [8][13] According to Merl, Magidson said he was not sure she was dead until they struck her with a shovel. Araujo was killed at a house party 14 years ago . [8], Araujo first met Michael Magidson, Jos Merl, Jaron Nabors, and Jason Cazares in late August or early September 2002. [8] Nabors had confessed to a friend what the four had done shortly after returning from the grave site. In this video, I explain my theory about what may have actually happened to lead up to Gwen's murder. The 17-year-old from the San Francisco Bay Area was beaten, punched and eventually choked to death when several men discovered she was a transgender woman. Guerrero also knew her daughter had a drinking problem and brought up rehab. 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. The case attracted national attention, both good and bad. 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. Feb. 24, 1985At age 14, Eddie tells his mom that he feels like a girl trapped in a boy's body. he testified. Some of the trans people say they were thinking of committing suicide before seeing Gwens story. Guerrero sees her daughters legacy firsthand each time the Lifetime movie, A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Storyairs. [8] According to The Start, Jogia was a student at Killarney Secondary School until age 17 when he left to pursue acting full-time, having already gained a number of small television credits. And Im still learning.. But her murder is still important today. Still, there have been nearly 25slayings of transgender people in the United States so far in 2016 alone, according to Noyola, including the killing of Brandi Bledsoe in Cleveland last week. [10], The first trial began on April 14, 2004. [67] Amber Rose was the name Guerrero had chosen before her child was born, in the event it was a girl. Watch the ABC7 Originals documentary, "Being Gwen: A Life and Death Story," streaming now in the video player above.It's also available on the ABC Owned Television Stations' connected TV Apps: ABC7 Bay Area, ABC30 Central California, ABC7 Los Angeles, ABC7 New York, ABC7 Chicago, 6abc Philadelphia, ABC13 Houston, and ABC11 Raleigh-Durham. Watch the ABC7 Originals documentary, "Being Gwen: A Life and Death Story," streaming now in the video player below. [13][14] She claimed to be menstruating and during sex would push her partners' hands away from her genitalia to prevent them from discovering that she had a penis. [61], Jos Merl was granted parole in 2016 with the support of Sylvia Guerrero. AB 2501 became the first state law in the nation to prohibit the use of the "gay panic" or "trans panic" defenses. It instructed jurors not to let bias against a victim's gender identity or sexual orientation influence their decisions. And if you or anyone you know is being bullied, call the Transgender Law Center for help at 415-865-0176. [15][29] Brown recalled that after she had left with Paul Merl, they drove around the block and returned to the house to see Nabors and Cazares leaving in Magidson's truck. At age 14, Eddie tells his mom that he feels like a girl trapped in a boy's body. This is a carousel. Michael Magidson told a parole board on Wednesday that he wasnt ready for release. And was stuck 10-2 in favor of acquitting Jos Merl and Jason Cazares of the same charge. A shrine to Gwen Araujo, who was murdered at age 17 in 2002 by four men who discovered she was transgender, rests in her mother's home in Tracy, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. "[22], The party-goers did not report the crime and the assailants said nothing to anyone about the murder. During the trial, the defense maintained that Araujo deceived the men into non-consensual sex by not revealing her biological gender and that the men reacted out of rage when they killed her. 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