July 4, 1999 At age 14, Eddie tells his mom. She frequently encounters psychological triggers that derail her days. 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[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. She went on to say, "It feels like we lost our mom. PLEASE VERIFY RIGHTS. [30] At some point, the assault resumed. Later, when asked why he hadn't done something more to push Araujo out of the doorway, Emmanuel Merel answered, "I gave in. [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. Yet the disability benefits she originally depended on were rejected in court. 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. Sylvia Guerrero is seen in San Francisco on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016. "[22], The party-goers did not report the crime and the assailants said nothing to anyone about the murder. This is the narrative that has persisted since shortly after Gwen's murder, but are there reasons to believe that this version of events isn't quite true? She fought like a guy. Some call her mom., She didnt die in vain. Sylvia Guerrero has faced hardship since Araujo's death. Araujo's mom reports her missing to police. [39][40][41] At the first trial, defense attorney Tony Serra accused Nabors of writing the letter knowing it would be intercepted and implicate Cazares. [23] It is not clear at what point during this sequence of events she died. Loves to Read. However, the autopsy showed that she died from strangulation associated with blunt force trauma to the head. Guerrero has survived in part from a GoFundMe page that raises donations on her behalf. I think it was toxic anyway, keeping all those emotions in. Sylvia is the mother of Gwen Araujo. That's not a world in which I want to live or most people want to live in. The first trial started on April 14, 2004 and ended in a hung jury against Magidson, Merel and Cazares. [61] Magidson was denied parole again in September 2019. Especially in today's society, she would have been rejected if not harmed had she been so open about it. Four months later, the jury found Magidson and Merel guilty of second-degree murder. They are 22-year-old Michael Magidson, 22-year-old Jos Merl, 22-year-old Jason Cazares, and 19-year-old and Jaron Nabors. And likely even more have forgotten the woman at the center of the media storm and trial proceedings that followed: Gwens mother. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! The Alameda County coroner's report said Araujo died by strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head. [2] He was killed by four men, two of whom he had been sexually intimate with while pretending to be female, who beat and strangled him after discovering that he was actually a biological male. At age 14, Eddie tells his mom that he feels like a girl trapped in a boy's body. Back in Tracy, Guerrero examined a broken taillight on her car while holding her daughters framed picture in her left hand. Magidson also testified and under cross-examination said he received oral sex from Araujo the night she was killed. Emmanuel Merel testified he tried to get Araujo out of the house but was stopped by the other men. 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. Nabors later testified that Jos Merl said that night, "I swear, if it's a f man, I'm gonna kill him. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Gwen Araujo Justice for Victims Act into law, challenging the gay/trans panic defense used by her killers to lessen their culpability. Her mother released 17 butterflies in her memory. On the night of Oct. 3, 2002, Araujo attended a party at a house rented by Jos and Paul Merl. The law requires that juries must be informed that they are forbidden from making decisions based on any victim's gender or sexual orientation. Jerry Brown. [12] Magidson, Nabors, and Jos Merl were charged with murder on October 17 and held without bail. 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. The other two defendants pleaded guilty or no-contest to voluntary manslaughter. Make Muse | For Smart + Creative Young Women. Cherished brother to Pearl and Jesus Serrano of CA, Rachel Araujo of Bakersfield, Brandon Guerrero-Bacot of Newark and Michael West of Newark. [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. The people who alleged to be Araujo's friends often speculated whether or not she was actually a female. The other two, Jaron Nabors and Jason Cazares, took plea bargains to voluntary manslaughter. "I don't want him to be identified in the rec room at Santa Rita (jail).". Today shes an admired activist for transgender causes, even though the horror of Gwens fate has upended her life. [71], In September 2006, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the "Gwen Araujo Justice for Victims Act" (AB 1160) into law. Loving son to Sylvia Guerrero of Newark and Edward Araujo of Brawley. Sylvia Guerrero had never even heard the word transgender until her 17-year-olddaughter Gwen Araujo, born a son named Eddie, was brutally murdered. Charges against Paul Merel were dropped the following day. It was just a passing thought, and no one took it seriously, he said. 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. Analysts compared the strategy to the "gay panic" defense. On October 4, 2002, four young men brutally murdered a beautiful, 17-year-old transgender teenager named Gwen Araujo. They viciously beat and strangled Gwento death at a Newark house party on Oct. 4,2002, after they confirmed she was biologically male. a GoFundMe page that raises donations on her behalf. Transgender activists educated the family about what it means to be transgender and the proper use of pronouns. 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. 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. Police began to interview the party-goers, and one of them led the police to the Merls' house. Court adjourned Thursday before Nabors could begin describing the night of the slaying. Gwen Araujo was a 17-year-old transgender teenager who lived in Newark, Calif. with her mother, Sylvia Guerrero. I was treated differently when I was wearing my business clothes to now that Im in shorts and have no money, Guerrero said, waving her hand over her figure. Guerrero sees her daughters legacy firsthand each time the Lifetime movie, A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Storyairs. Merl and Magidson were sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 15 years. Four men brutally murdered her. Feb. 24, 1985At age 14, Eddie tells his mom that he feels like a girl trapped in a boy's body. Investigators got Nabors' friend to wear a wire and record Nabors talking about the murder. [31] Merl was concerned with cleaning Araujo's blood off the couch[30] and carpet before retreating to his room so the others would not see him crying.[23]. "[15] According to Nabors, Magidson added "I don't know what I'm going to do", and Nabors replied, "Whatever you do, make sure you don't make a mess. He left, along with his brother Paul and his girlfriend, while Araujo was bloodied in the living room. Brown grabbed Araujo's crotch during a confrontation in the bathroom and revealed she had male genitalia. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. This is the life and death story of 17-year-old Gwen Araujo. Jaron Nabors was sentenced to 11 years in prison. According to court testimony, Araujo, whom the men knew a Lida, engaged in sexual activity with Michael Magidson and Jos Merl. The story of Gwen's life has been celebrated and kept alive . Merl refused to answer the prosecutor's questions about how Araujo died. 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. In 2010, then-Gov. He is expected to resume testimony Monday. 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Jaron Nabors pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter and agrees to testify against his three friends in exchange for an 11 year prison term. The case attracted national attention, both good and bad. [30] Cazares kicked her. [75][76][77] The law limited the use by criminal defendants of the "gay/trans panic defense" by allowing parties to instruct jurors not to let bias influence their decisions, including "bias against the victim" based on his or her "gender identity, or sexual orientation". Gwen Araujo was a 17-year-old transgender teenager who lived in Newark, Calif. with her mother, Sylvia Guerrero. This publication will provide readers with the best true crime content on Medium. All Rights Reserved. Referring to Araujo as Lidathe name she had used with themNabors testified that he saw Magidson raising the rope to her neck before he left the garage and that Magidson later told the others "that he had wrapped the rope around Lida's neck and twisted it." I cant afford it.. In high school, Gwen would regularly ask Guerrero to give her friends advice on their relationships and drama at school. AB 2501 became the first state law in the nation to prohibit the use of the "gay panic" or "trans panic" defenses. [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. The elderly woman was a victim of recent storms. Late in the night, the men demanded that Araujo drop her pants to prove she was not a man. In court, two of the men who strangled, beat and buried the trans teenager claimed gay panic.. Jose Merel hit her in the head with a frying pan and a can of soup. Anti-shock collar legislation has garnered widespread supportand controversyfrom animal welfare advocates. [68] By 2005, Guerrero had spoken to more than 20 schools. [37][38] Cazares had been identified as a potential witness on October 22. Nabors agreed to testify against his friends in exchange for a reduced manslaughter charge. I still call her mom when I talk to her.. [8], The Alameda County Sheriff's Office dispatched four crime scene investigators and two detectives to recover Araujo's body from the grave site. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Also at the gathering were Paul's girlfriend, Nicole Brown, and friends Jason Cazares, 22, and Jaron Nabors, 19. [8] Nabors had confessed to a friend what the four had done shortly after returning from the grave site. The jury deadlocked 7-5 in favor of convicting Magidson on a first-degree murder charge. Neither defendants was convicted of a hate crime. And was stuck 10-2 in favor of acquitting Jos Merl and Jason Cazares of the same charge. Magidson, Jos Merl and Nabors were arraigned for Araujo's murder in a Fremont courtroom. The program includes police interrogation videos and court evidence not previously seen by the public since the well-publicized trials of her killers more than 15 years ago. I can never make up for the time we lost as Ive struggled to deal with the grief that began that night.. 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. Jos and Paul Merl in exchange for an 11 year prison term seriously, said... Agrees to testify against his friends in exchange for an 11 year term... That juries must be informed that they are 22-year-old Michael Magidson, Nabors, and Jaron Nabors sentenced! Talking about the murder, he said transgender causes, even though the horror of fate! 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