![]() ![]() Prosecutors doubted the claim, in part because the FBI found a cache of gay porn on Vallum's cellphone and because he was charged with indecent exposure in Alabama. He said he "blacked out" and doesn't remember the crime, a variation of what's known as a "gay panic" or "trans panic" defense. In his defense, Vallum initially told sheriff's deputies and later The Sun Herald newspaper that he found out that Williamson had a penis on moments before he killed her. After his release, Vallum met Williamson online and they dated for months in 2014. While imprisoned, he joined the Latin Kings gang, going by the name King Chaos. Vallum previously served time for a fake bomb threat at a church. "There's a lot of variability in the willingness of state and local jurisdictions to prosecute," said Rebecca Stotzer, a University of Hawaii professor who has studied violence on LGBT people. He could get life in prison without parole for his federal guilty plea. In Vallum's case, he pleaded guilty to murder in state court and was sentenced to life in prison, but with a chance of parole. Usually defendants will also face charges such as assault or murder, but people are more likely to be convicted in federal court and can sometimes face longer sentences. Mississippi, for example, doesn't include crimes against transgender people. Six Democrats in Congress wrote to Sessions on March 10 to ask the Justice Department to investigate as hate crimes the deaths of seven transgender women this year, including another one in Mississippi.Ĭrimes motivated by a loathing of sexual orientation or race will often be prosecuted under state hate crime charges, but those vary. Investigations are typically initiated by the FBI and the attorney general doesn't need to sign off on each prosecution. ![]() Hate crimes have historically been a priority for the FBI and Justice Department. For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. ![]()
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