Killer Of Transwoman Angie Zapata Found Guilty By Colorado Jury

Allen Andrade was today found guilty of the July 2008 murder of transwoman Angie Zapata, whom Andrade beat to death with a fire extinguisher after learning Zapata's birth gender. When arrested, he told police he had killed "it".

After two hours of deliberation, a Weld District Court jury found Allen Andrade guilty of the first-degree murder of Angie Zapata, guilty of a hate crime and guilty of car and identity theft. Andrade, 32, of Thornton was on trial for the beating death of Zapata, 18, last summer. The pair met through a social networking Web site, and planned a meeting days later. Andrade came to Greeley and stayed with Zapata for two days, ending with Zapata's death. Attorneys say Andrade beat Zapata to death with a fire extinguisher. Andrade confessed to beating her not only once, but a second time, after Zapata had woken up from the first beating, according to police affidavits.

Andrade's attorneys attempted a "trans panic" defense, but prosecutors proved that he know of Zapata's birth gender at least 36 hours before the murder.

RELATED: Pam's House Blend blogger Autumn Sandeen has been covering the trial in person. Check out her excellent work.

Judge Rejects "Provoking Smile" Defense In Murder Of Denver Transwoman

Yesterday a Denver judge rejected a request to lower the charge in the case of murdered transwoman Angie Zapata, after her killer's lawyer said that Allen Andrade was "provoked" into killing Zapata when she smiled at him after he demanded to know if she was male.

Only when Andrade grabbed at Zapata's crotch did he discover the truth. But when she smiled at him and said, "I'm all woman," it drove an enraged Andrade to commit murder, attorney Annette Kundelius said. "At best, this is a case about passion," Kundelius said. "When (Zapata) smiled at him, this was a highly provoking act, and it would cause someone to have an aggressive reaction."

Andrade will be tried for first degree murder with a felony hate crime bias charge. The judge said his decision was influenced by anti-gay and anti-trans statements Andrade made while in custody. Andrade may face the death penalty, but no one has been executed in Colorado since 1976. The state presently has only three prisoners on death row.

Hate Crimes Charge For Transwoman's Killer

The murderer of Colorado transwoman Angie Zapata has been charged with a hate crime, adding a potential 18 months to his sentence. Zapata's supportive sister says that she had long been worried about the crowd of "dangerous men" that Zapata had been hanging with.

“One time she came home crying saying, ‘Why, Monica, why won’t people accept me?’ ” Monica Zapata said. “All my sister wanted was somebody who would take her down the street and be proud of who she was.” Monica Zapata said her sister had drifted into drugs and at one point talked about prostitution to make extra money. “I worried about her every time she left my house,” she said. “I couldn’t fix her loneliness.”

Allen Conrade, 31, has confessed that he beat Zapata to death with a fire extinguisher the morning after they had sex. Conrade says that photographs in Zapata's apartment raised his suspicions, causing him to grope her groin and discover a penis. Hopefully the judge in Conrade's trial will not allow him to raise a transpanic defense. Murder is murder.

Killer Blames Murder On Transpanic

The confessed killer of Angie Zapata, the 20 year old transgender woman murdered in Colorado last week, says that he became so enraged when he discovered a penis under Zapata's clothes, that he grabbed a fire extinguisher and beat "it" to death.

The man arrested in the murder of a 20-year-old transgender person was on date with a person he thought was a woman, 9NEWS has learned. Police say when the suspect discovered his date was actually a man, he killed her. Allen Ray Andrade, 31, was arrested in Thornton on Tuesday and faces second-degree murder and aggravated motor vehicle theft charges.

In an arrest affidavit obtained by 9NEWS, Andrade admits to police to killing Angie Zapata, 20, who was living as a woman but born as Justin Zapata. Zapata was found beaten to death in a Greeley apartment in the 2000 block of 4th Street on July 17. Authorities say Zapata had suffered fatal wounds to her head and face. The affidavit says Andrade met Zapata on a social networking site, MocoSpace, and the two arranged to meet July 15. Zapata picked Andrade up in Thornton where he lived and the pair returned to Zapata's Greeley apartment together. Andrade told police Zapata performed a sexual act on him.

The following day, the affidavit explains, Andrade started to look at photos in the apartment and questioned Zapata's sex. That night, Andrade questioned Zapata directly, according to the affidavit, and Andrade says Zapata responded, "I'm all woman." Andrade told police he grabbed Zapata in her genital area and felt a penis. He became angry and hit Zapata with his fist before grabbing a fire extinguisher and hitting her in the head twice, according to the affidavit. Andrade explained to police that he thought he "killed it," referring to Zapata but when she made gurgling noises and started to sit up, he hit her with the extinguisher again. He also admitted to police he stole Zapata's car and drove away.

Another Brandon Teena story, another "deceptive transexual" field day for the press, another likely gay/transpanic defense.