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Dwanya Hickerson: U.S. Navy Sailor Accused Of Murdering Black Transgender Woman – Nurse Dee Whigham Was Found Stabbed In A Hotel Room In Mississippi

By Alap Naik Desai
Published on: 10:44 PST, Jul 26, 2016

A U.S. Navy sailor has been charged in the murder a black transgender woman in Mississippi. The accused was arrested on Keesler Air Force Base on Monday morning.

United States Navy seaman Dwanya Hickerson was apprehended in connection to a murder of a black transgender woman. The victim, identified as Dee Whigham, was found dead in a hotel room. The woman is believed to have been stabbed multiple times, but authorities are waiting for the forensics to compile a report, just to be sure. Multiple pieces of evidence, including security footage, place Hickerson at the hotel where Whigham was discovered.

Hickerson, who hails from New Orleans, is currently charged with capital murder. He is expected to appear before county Judge T. Larry Wilson on Wednesday. Confirming the alleged crime, Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said Dwanya Hickerson was apprehended on Keesler Air Force Base on Monday morning.

The victim has been identified as 25-year-old Dee Whigham, a black transgender woman. The woman had recently graduated from a nursing school and was a registered nurse. She was discovered dead at the Best Western Hotel just north of the I-10. While the circumstances surrounding her death are being investigated, it is speculated the woman was robbed prior to her death. Investigators noted the death of the victim most likely occurred due to stabbing, but added they are waiting for the autopsy report before the official cause of death is announced. The autopsy was scheduled to be performed today.

20-year-old Dwanya Hickerson enlisted in the Navy in Georgia on Sept. 15, 2015. He enrolled in the weather forecaster apprentice course, confirmed Lt. Cmdr. Kate Meadows of the Naval Education Affairs and Training Command, reported the Sun Herald. He is not an airman, but rather a member of the U.S. Navy assigned to Keesler AFB for training. He was assigned to the Naval Aviation Training Unit. Before starting training at Keesler, Hickerson had undergone standard military training in various stages, which included an eight-week boot camp. After graduating boot camp, the seaman attended the Surface Warfare Officers School. Both the institutes are located in Great Lakes, Illinois, shared Meadows.

Dee Whigham worked as a registered nurse at Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, reported The Guardian. She had recently graduated and was in town to attend the 7th Annual Gulf Coast Black Rodeo at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. She was reportedly with her friends and coworkers.

Sheriff Ezell noted Hickerson’s arrest was made after surveillance photos from the scene were posted on social media platforms that contained information about the crime, reported WLOX. The social media post was first posted by local police. It showed Hickerson leaving the hotel. The surveillance video captured images of a man walking in a hallway at the hotel at 8:35 p.m. Saturday. The green shirt he was seen wearing was later seen hanging around his neck. The images were recognized by several people, who helped identify Hickerson. The police are investigating whether the death can be classified as a hate crime, added Sheriff Ezell.

“Right now we’re looking at this, we’re not ruling out anything at this point in time. So as soon as we gather more information and keep working on the case, then we’ll make some determinations on whether this was a hate crime or not”

Speaking about the death of Whigham, Emily Waters, senior manager of National Research and Policy at NCAVP made a statement.

“The violence that transgender women of color face is rooted in racism, misogyny, homophobia and transphobia. We need to notice how these biases and violence are present in all of our everyday environments, and then work to change them.”

[Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]

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