Plea entered in case of transgender woman’s Allendale killing
ALLENDALE, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A South Carolina man pleaded guilty Thursday to obstructing an investigation into the December 2019 murder of a transgender woman.
According to court documents, on Aug. 15, 2019, Xavier Pinckney, 24, of Allendale, provided false and misleading information to state authorities investigating the murder of LaDime Doe, a transgender woman.
Pinckney itted that he concealed from state authorities the use of his phone to call and text Doe the day of her murder and lied to state investigators about seeing Daqua Ritter, who allegedly shot Doe to death, on the morning of Doe’s murder.
Doe was found shot to death in a car off Highway 278.
Pinckney faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the obstruction of justice offense.
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The plea follows a five-count federal indictment early this year that also charged Ritter with a hate crime, using a firearm in connection with the hate crime and obstruction of justice.
A sentencing date for Pinckney has not yet been scheduled. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other factors.
U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs said hate has no place in South Carolina.
“The senseless murder of Dime Doe, and any act of violence against the LGBTQI+ community, confirms the need to confront hate in all its forms,” he said. “Our office will continue to pursue justice for those impacted by bias-motivated crimes.”
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division noted that acts of violence against LGBTQI+ people, including transgender women of color, are on the rise and have no place in our society.
“The Justice Department remains steadfast in its commitment to investigating and prosecuting those who target LGBTQI+ people with acts of violence or who try to unlawfully obstruct investigations into these heinous crimes,” Clarke said.
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