Hate Crime Trial Begins in Syracuse

Syracuse, NY – Trial begins Monday in Syracuse for 20-year old Dwight DeLee. He is accused of killing a transgendered woman.

LaTeisha Green, 22, was shot to death as she sat in a car with her brother outside a house party in Syracuse on November 14, 2008. By prosecuting the case as a hate crime, DeLee could face years of additional time in prison if he is convicted. DeLee faces the hate crime charge because it is alleged he believed Green was gay, not a woman in transition.

Prosecutors admit a hate crime conviction is rare, pointing to statistics that show of the more than 6,100 cases over the past eight years, just 13 percent resulted in convictions. In comparison, nearly two-thirds of all crimes in the state ended with convictions from 2000 to 2008.

In court, LaTeisha will be referred to by birth name, Moses Cannon, because the NY State hate crime statute only covers crimes against sexual orientation, not gender expression or identity.

On Saturday, July 11, family, friends and supporters gathered to remember LaTiesha at the First English Lutheran Church in Syracuse.

As the trial begins Monday morning, LaTeisha's mother, Roxanne Green, plans to offer a statement on behalf of her family at the Onondaga County/City of Syracuse Criminal Courthouse.