Update to First of Kind “Zapata” Trial

UPDATE: Only 10 days after the beginning of the trial in the murder of Angie Zapata, today the Colorado jury found Allen Andrade guilty on four counts including first-degree murder and hate crime charges.

As reported on April 13, 2009:

A landmark trial, believed to be the first attempted murder prosecution under a hate-crime law that involves a transgender victim will begin this week in Weld County, Colorado. The trial will determine the fate of the suspect in the brutal murder of Angie Zapata, an 18-year-old transgender who was attacked and killed in her Greeley, Colorado apartment last year. The suspect has been charged with first-degree murder and a “bias-motivated” or hate crime, on top of various other charges.

In 1988 Colorado became the first state to pass a hate-crimes law, and in 2005 the law was amended to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

There were more than 130 violent crimes against LGBT people reported in Colorado in 2008. Many hope this trial will raise awareness of the state’s hate-crime law.