'The Justice Department will continue its efforts to vindicate the rights of those individuals who are affected by bias motivated crimes.' 'Today's sentencing reflects the importance of holding individuals accountable when they commit violent acts against transgender individuals,' Sessions said in a statement. The case, watched nationally amid concerns that transgender women are particularly vulnerable to violence, drew comment from U.S. 'If I could bring back Mercedes by giving up my life, I would gladly do so.'

'Every day, I live with the guilt and regret of my actions,' Vallum said. On Monday, Vallum begged forgiveness from Williamson's family and friends, though none of them were present - only a few reporters, the judge and Vallum's father and stepmother. He previously pleaded guilty to a state murder charge that led to a separate sentence of life without parole. Vallum pleaded guilty to the federal charges in December. If I could bring back Mercedes by giving up my life, I would gladly do so.

'The taking of a human life because a person has a particular gender identity is particularly heinous and cannot be tolerated in an enlightened society,' Guirola said in court in Gulfport. Both the judge and defence lawyers said Vallum's history of abuse as a child had to be considered. Guirola could have sentenced Vallum to life in prison, but heeded a lesser sentence suggested in a plea agreement between defence attorneys and prosecutors, citing Vallum's neglected childhood and other issues. Gang rules barred homosexual activity and declared it punishable by death. Prosecutors said Vallum shocked 17-year-old Mercedes Williamson with a stun gun, stabbed her and beat her to death in 2015 to keep fellow Latin Kings gang members from discovering the two were having sex. The taking of a human life because a person has a particular gender identity is particularly heinous and cannot be tolerated in an enlightened society. It was the first case prosecuted under the federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act involving a victim targeted because of gender identity. sentenced Joshua Vallum in the 2015 killing of 17-year-old Mercedes Williamson.

In a case watched by the LGBT community nationwide, U.S. First transgender mayor in Texas 'concerned' about trans rights under Trump.CBC IN TEXAS | Gun sales surge among LGBT, minorities in the U.S.A Mississippi man received a 49-year prison sentence Monday for the first-ever conviction on U.S. federal hate crime charges arising from the killing of a transgender woman.

Joshua vallum