Man sentenced to life for Allendale murder of transgender woman
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A man convicted in a federal hate crime trial for the 2019 Allendale murder of a transgender woman was sentenced Thursday.
U.S. District Judge Sherri Lydon sentenced Daqua Ritter to life in federal prison without the possibility of parole for the 2019 murder of Dime Doe.
Prosecutors said they hope the verdict and sentence give Doe’s loved ones some sense of comfort and demonstrate that the Justice Department will vigorously prosecute those who commit violent acts of hate against the LGBTQI+ community.
A jury found Ritter guilty in February of one count of murder, one count of using a firearm to commit a crime and one count of obstruction of justice.
It was the first federal trial over a hate crime based on gender identity.
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Sentencing took place in federal court in Columbia.
“Protecting civil rights remains at the forefront of our office’s priorities,” said U.S. Attorney Adair Ford Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “From the smallest of communities, like Allendale, to anywhere in South Carolina where hate and injustice occur. We will continue to fight for the rights of those targeted because of their race, their religion, their gender identity or sexual orientation, or their ability.”
The reflects the “gravity of Ritter’s horrific crime of murdering Dime Doe,” said Special Agent in Charge Steve Jensen of the FBI Columbia field office.
“It is our hope that this outcome brings a measure of closure to Doe’s loved ones,” Jensen said. “As they continue to mourn this tragedy, the FBI remains steadfast in ensuring the protection and dignity of all citizens.”
The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that in August 2019, Ritter coaxed Doe into driving to a sparsely populated rural county in South Carolina and shot her to death after word of their secret sexual relationship started getting out.
The indictment alleges the motive was Doe’s actual and perceived gender identity.
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Twenty-eight witnesses testified in the federal trial including local residents and acquaintances of the suspect who spoke about the incidents on the day of the killing. The witnesses also included experts who discussed the evidence gathered at the scene.
In the trial, jurors were told about a secret sexual relationship between Ritter and Doe.
Jurors were told the matter came to a head when Ritter’s then-girlfriend, Delasia Green, discovered text messages between Ritter and Doe.
Green stated she went through Ritter’s phone, saying she had a “gut feeling” and wanted to go through his texting apps, Facebook and text messages. She stated she saw texts between Ritter and an unsaved number, later identified as Doe’s.
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Green stated she questioned Ritter about Doe. She says he told her to “not question his sexuality,” saying he was upset about her confronting him about the text messages.
Ritter’s cousin Jamie Priester testified that Ritter said he’d told Doe to meet him to talk about a video and photo of them together. Priester testified that Ritter said when Doe looked down to delete the video, that’s when he shot her the first time.
It was no secret in Allendale that Doe had begun her social transition as a woman shortly after graduating high school, her close friends testified. Doe started dressing in skirts, getting her nails done and wearing extensions. She and her friends went out drinking. They discussed boys they were seeing.
One of those boys was Ritter, who traveled from New York to visit family during summertime. Doe and Ritter grew close over the course of those stays.
Deadly trend
In recent years, there has been a surge in attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, and Doe is one of several transgender and gender-fluid murder victims in the CSRA. Others include:
- The July 2022 murder of Keshia Geter at the Knights Inn hotel on Boy Scout Road in Augusta.
- The Augusta murder of 33-year-old Felycya Harris, whose body was found Oct. 3, 2020, at Meadowbrook Park.
- The March 12, 2020, murder of John Scott Devore, also known in the community as Scottlynn Devore.
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