Man found guilty of murdering ex-girlfriend because she was transgender in landmark case

'Our nation’s hate crime statutes advance one of our fundamental beliefs, that no one should have to live in fear because of who they are' says US Attorney General Loretta Lynch

A gang member has been convicted under federal laws for murdering his ex-girlfriend because she was transgender, in a landmark case in Mississippi.

Joshua Vallum killed Mercedes Williamson, 17, because he allegedly feared reprisals from gang members if they discovered his relationship with a transgender woman.

The 29-year-old is the first person to be convicted under federal hate crime laws for targeting someone for being transgender.

“Our nation’s hate crime statutes advance one of our fundamental beliefs, that no one should have to live in fear because of who they are,” said US Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

“Today’s landmark guilty plea reaffirms that basic principle, and it signals the Justice Department’s determination to combat hate crimes based on gender identity.”

Courts have heard how Vallum, a member of the Almighty Latin Kings and Queens Nation crime gang, knew of Ms Williamson’s gender but kept it a secret.

The two broke up in 2014 but when in 2015 a friend discovered her gender, he decided to kill her, according to the US Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

Vallum, who lured the 17-year-old into his car and stabbed her repeatedly on 29 May that year, said he would not have killed her if she was not transgender.

He pleaded guilty in a state court in George County, Mississippi, in July, and was sentenced to life in prison, but pleaded guilty to the federal charge on Wednesday.

Of 5,462 hate crimes in 2014, 18.6 per cent resulted from sexual-orientation bias, compared with 17.7 per cent of 5,818 in 2015 – according to the FBI.

As of November, the deaths of 26 transgender people had been reported in 2016, which is more than any other year according to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

Hate crimes spiked in the wake of Donald Trump's election win, with 897 reports recorded in 10 days, and hate crimes in Michigan increased by 6,500 per cent alone.