28-year-old Remy Fennell is the second black trans woman to have been violently killed in North Carolina, US, within the space of a week after Jaida Peterson was killed only days before. During a police press conference, it was revealed that Fennell was found dead on April 15 in a hotel like Peterson, sparking fears of a serial killer.
However, police later named two individual suspects, Dontarius Long and Joel Brewer, and are currently investigating whether either of the incidents could be classed as a hate crime. Fennell is the 15th known trans person to have been murdered in the US this year; nine of these victims were black trans women.
2020 was the deadliest year on record for trans Americans, with 44 recorded deaths. A 2020 report by LGBTQ+ support network and anti-violence organisation, Galop, found transphobic hate crimes are also increasing in the UK, with four in five trans people saying they have been the victim of a hate crime within the past 12 months.
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