James Byrd-Junior: Last News

convicted on hate crime charges in February following a four-day trial for the murder of then-24-year-old Dime Doe, also known as Pebbles “LaDime” Doe, a Black transgender woman from Allendale, South Carolina.Ritter’s conviction was the first guilty verdict for violent acts committed against a transgender person under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.Passed in 2009, the act expanded federal hate crime laws to include incidents of violence against people based on their gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability status.While other individuals had been prosecuted for crimes motivated by anti-transgender animus, none ever went to trial.At trial, prosecutors presented evidence showing that Ritter had been involved in a sexual relationship with Doe, and became upset after rumors of their affair began to circulate around their hometown of Allendale, South Carolina.Ritter’s girlfriend discovered his infidelity to her, and his relationship with Doe.