 |
Hate Crime Murder Victim |
|
Compiled By GayToday
Milwaukee, Wisconsin-- Law enforcement officials here are being urged by the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) to fully investigate the murder of a local activist, including elevating the murder to the classification of a hate crime.
Milwaukee activist Juana Vega was shot repeatedly in the face and chest and died on Sunday, November 11. First-degree intentional homicide charges have been filed against Pablo Parrilla who, according to witnesses, threatened to kill Vega on numerous occasions because of her lesbian relationship with Parrilla’s sister. Local law enforcement officials have not yet classified the murder as a hate crime, despite the obvious evidence in the case. Under Wisconsin law, such a classification would not alter the mandatory life sentence already required by a first-degree intentional homicide conviction. "This vicious murder happened solely because the victim was a lesbian. This is exactly the reason that the hate crimes law exists," said NGLTF executive director Lorri L. Jean. "The Wisconsin hate crimes law has been scrutinized by the U.S. Supreme Court and has been found constitutional, yet it has been rarely, if ever, applied in a case involving bias violence against a member of the Milwaukee-area lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community. Now is the time." NGLTF pressed three key Milwaukee officials yesterday to closely examine the case. The letter urged Mayor John Norquist, Common Council President Marvin Pratt, and County Executive Tom Ament to "give full consideration to enhancing the homicide charge with a charge that the alleged killer committed a hate crime." Vega, 36, was a Mexican-American lesbian, an entrepreneur, a painter and a chef. She was active in Las Americas Without Borders, a social organization for GLBT Latino/as in Milwaukee. Her brutal murder occurred on the last day of the Creating Change conference, the national conference of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender movement, which was convened in Milwaukee by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Foundation. NGLTF urges gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people to contact the Milwaukee County Executive Tom Ament to urge the fill investigation of the murder of Juana Vega, including the application of the Wisconsin Hate Crimes law. Contact: Tom Ament Milwaukee County Executive 901 N. 9th Street, Courthouse Room 306 Milwaukee, WI 53233-1458 Phone: 414-278-4211 Fax: 414-223-1375 Email: tomament@milwcnty.com |
