The Right Verdict

Unlike a lot of other hate crime trials lately that have somehow miraculously ended favorably for the accused, one such trial ended in a guilty verdict, albeit for manslaughter and not first-degree murder.

Last Friday, Dwight DeLee was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter for the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Lateisha Green outside a Syracuse house party in November because of anti-gay bias. He becomes just the second person in the U.S. convicted of a hate crime that involved the death of a transgender victim.

The jury deliberated for about six hours over two days. DeLee faces additional prison time because he was convicted of a hate crime.

While DeLee was charged with second-degree murder as a hate crime, Judge William Walsh told the jury that it could also consider convicting DeLee of manslaughter as a hate crime, as well as murder or manslaughter without the hate crime element.

No hate. Just shooting a transgendered person for....what was the reason?

During three days of testimony, DeLee's attorney, Clarence Johnson, denied the prosecutor's claims that his client hated homosexuals. Johnson contended that no evidence showed DeLee had a history of anti-gay bias before the shooting. But several witnesses said they heard DeLee refer to Green as a "faggot" just before Green was shot with a .22-caliber rifle while sitting in a parked car outside the party.

Faggot. Shots. Car.

No, no hate there.It's nice to see that a jury saw through to the real story and awarded some small sense of justice for Lateisha Green.

And for all transgendered people.