South Carolina Man Who Killed Transgender Woman After Rumors of Their Secret Affair Started Spreading, Sentenced to Life [Video]

In a landmark case which authorities say marks the first time anyone was found guilty by a jury for a hate crime against a transgender person in federal court, a man in South Carolina has been sentenced to life behind bars for the 2019 murder of Dime Doe, a transgender Black woman.

As previously reported, jurors convicted Daqua Lameek Ritter in February this year on hate crime charges, using a firearm in connection with the fatal shooting and obstructing justice. A judge handed Ritter a life sentence on Thursday, Oct. 17.

This sentencing sends a clear message — the Justice Department vigorously defends the civil rights of every American,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement. “We will use all the resources at our disposal to safeguard the rights of the LGBTQI+ community, and we will investigate and prosecute perpetrators of transphobic-fueled violence in our …