Miss Trans America founder murdered at home – husband arrested

The body of transgender woman Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien was found at her home on Veazie Street, North Adams, Massachusetts on Friday night.

Police reportedly discovered it after her husband, Mark Steele-Knudslien went to the police station in neighboring Adams and allegedly confessed to authorities he had killed her, reports the Berkshire Eagle.

According to the results of an autopsy conducted yesterday, she died from ‘loss of blood due to a stab wound to the torso; a contributing factor was multiple blunt force traumas to the head.’ Her death has been ruled a homicide.

Chrisa Leigh, 42, previously founded and run Miss Trans New England and Miss Trans America pageants.

From postings on her Facebook page, Christa Leigh, is believed to have married Mark, 47, last year. He is to be arraigned this morning on a murder charge at Northern Berkshire District Court.

The couple are known to have lived in Adams for 2-3 years before moving to North Adams last year.

Trans murder

Transgender people are known to face an increased likelihood of hate crime and violence. The Trans Murder Project released details of 325 trans people killed in the 12 months preceding last November’s Trans Day of Remembrance. Twenty-five of those were in the US.

LGBT equality organization Human Rights Campaign were among the first to mourn Christa Leigh’s death.

A tragic start to the new year. We mourn the loss of Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien, whose death is now the first reported murder of a trans person in 2018.https://t.co/U4SCjovuyM

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) January 7, 2018

H/T: Berkshire Eagle

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