In the late summer of 2020, a young Black transgender woman named Kee Sam was killed in Lafayette, Louisiana. On the afternoon of Wednesday, August 12, police were called to a hotel on the Northeast Evangeline Thruway where they found 24-year-old Sam critically injured by a gunshot wound. Emergency services provided first aid at the scene before rushing her to a local hospital.
Despite medical efforts, Sam succumbed to her injuries and passed away the following day.
The investigation into her death led police to a juvenile suspect. While the initial reports did not name the individual due to their age, it was later revealed that Kennon Milstead, who was a teenager at the time of the incident, was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting. The case proceeded through the justice system, culminating in a resolution more than three years after Sam's death.
In October 2023, a judge sentenced Kennon Milstead, by then 19 years old, for his role in the death of Kee Sam. After considering the facts of the case, the court sentenced Milstead to 20 years in prison. However, 10 years of the sentence were suspended.
