Missouri officials will not be seeking hate crime charges against three people who have been arrested and charged with the murder of 17-year-old Ally Steinfeld, the New York Post reports. Sheriff James Sigman and prosecutor Parke Stevens Jr. said the crime was not motivated by Steinfeld’s gender.
“I would say murder in the first-degree is all that matters,” Stevens said, according to the Post. “That is a hate crime in itself.”
Steinfeld’s body was found over the weekend after she had been reported missing in early September. The body had been stabbed, burned and mutilated when it was discovered.
Steinfeld’s murder garnered national headlines for its gruesome nature, though early reports omitted Steinfeld’s gender identity. INTO reported that several of Steinfeld’s social media posts had indicated that she identified as a transgender woman.
According to the Post, Steinfeld was dating one of the people, Briana Calderas, who was charged with her murder. Steinfeld and the two suspects were living in Calderas’ mobile home, Steinfeld’s mother told the Post.
Steinfeld’s death is the 21st reported killing of a transgender person in 2017, according to GLAAD.
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