In the early hours of February 10, 2015, a life was tragically cut short in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans. Perry Thornton, a 21-year-old Black transgender woman also known as Penny Proud, was found fatally shot multiple times around 1:30 a.m. on the 1100 block of North Claiborne Avenue. Emergency services arrived at the scene to find Thornton, who was pronounced dead from her injuries.
The initial reports from some local media outlets incorrectly identified her gender, an issue that was quickly condemned by LGBTQ+ advocacy groups for its lack of respect for the victim's identity.
The death of Perry Thornton was not an isolated incident but part of a distressing pattern of violence against transgender women of color in the United States that year. Her murder marked the fifth known killing of a transgender woman of color within the first five weeks of 2015, highlighting a growing crisis of targeted violence against this community. In the wake of her death, local organizations, including BreakOUT!, a New Orleans-based group, organized a candlelight vigil to honor her memory and bring attention to the pervasive violence faced by transgender individuals.
In the investigation that followed, it was reported that two young men were seen fleeing the crime scene with Thornton's purse, suggesting that robbery may have been a motive. Investigators later recovered the purse and found blood and a handprint inside. DNA from the handprint was matched to a man who admitted to being in Thornton's car on the night of the murder but claimed he had left before she was killed. Despite this lead, as of the latest available information, the DNA from the blood found in the purse has not been matched, and no arrests have been made in connection with the murder of Perry Thornton. The case remains unsolved, a painful open wound for her loved ones and a stark reminder of the dangers faced by the transgender community.
