Local
Accused killer incompetent to stand trial
Man suspected in murder of trans woman
Over 200 people attended a candlelight vigil held for murdered trans woman Deoni JaParker Jones in 2012. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
A D.C. Superior Court Judge on Dec. 2 ruled that a 57-year-old man charged with first-degree murder while armed for the February 2012 stabbing death of transgender woman Deoni JaParker Jones is incompetent to stand trial.
Judge Robert E. Morin ordered Gary Niles Montgomery transferred from the D.C. jail to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital for “competency restoration” and scheduled a court hearing to assess his mental health status for Feb. 7.
According to court records, Morin based his decision on a 30-day competency examination of Montgomery conducted at St. Elizabeth’s, the third such examination given to Montgomery since the time of his arrest two weeks after the Feb. 2, 2012 murder.
The first two exams found him competent to stand trial and prompted Morin to set a trial date for April 4, 2014. During the Dec. 2 hearing Morin vacated the trial date pending the outcome of further evaluation of Montgomery.
At the request of Montgomery’s defense attorneys, Anthony Matthews and Colle Latin, Morin agreed in October to send Montgomery to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, a city-run psychiatric facility, to undergo a third mental competency evaluation.
A copy of the report for that examination, on which Morin based his decision to declare Montgomery incompetent to stand trial, couldn’t immediately be obtained.
In a Sept. 9, 2013 motion filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Holly Shick, the lead prosecutor in the case, Shick argued that prevailing evidence showed Montgomery understood the issues surrounding his case and was competent to proceed to a trial.
Deoni JaParker Jones
“The defendant was arraigned in early November 2012 and pled not guilty,” Shick said in her motion. “During a Nov. 30 status hearing, the defense argued for the defendant’s release into the community, claiming there was insufficient evidence that the defendant was a danger to the community or a risk of flight – claims that the defense would be hard pressed to make if they had concerns about his competency.”
Alvin Bethea, the stepfather of Jones, told the Blade this week he is troubled over the judge’s decision to declare Montgomery incompetent for trial. He said he also remains concerned that prosecutors have yet to classify the murder as an anti-transgender hate crime.
Photos
PHOTOS: Helen Hayes Awards
Gay Men’s Chorus, local drag artists have featured performance at ceremony
The 41st Helen Hayes Awards were held at The Anthem on Monday, May 19. Felicia Curry and Mike Millan served as the hosts.
A performance featuring members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and local drag artists was held at the end of the first act of the program to celebrate WorldPride 2025.
The annual awards ceremony honors achievement in D.C.-area theater productions and is produced by Theatre Washington.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
District of Columbia
Laverne Cox, Reneé Rapp, Deacon Maccubbin named WorldPride grand marshals
Three LGBTQ icons to lead parade
WorldPride organizers announced Thursday that actress and trans activist Laverne Cox, powerhouse performer Reneé Rapp, and LGBTQ trailblazer Deacon Maccubbin will serve as grand marshals for this year’s WorldPride parade.
The Capital Pride Alliance, which is organizing WorldPride 2025 in Washington, D.C., revealed the honorees in a press release, noting that each has made a unique contribution to the fabric of the LGBTQ community.
Cox made history in 2014 as the first openly transgender person nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category for her role in Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black.” She went on to win a Daytime Emmy in 2015 for her documentary “Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word,” which followed seven young trans people as they navigated coming out.
Rapp, a singer and actress who identifies as a lesbian, rose to prominence as Regina George in the Broadway musical “Mean Girls.” She reprised the role in the 2024 film adaptation and also stars in Max’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” portraying a character coming to terms with her sexuality. Rapp has released an EP, “Everything to Everyone,” and an album, “Snow Angel.” She announced her sophomore album, “Bite Me,” on May 21 and is slated to perform at the WorldPride Music Festival at the RFK Festival Grounds.
Deacon Maccubbin, widely regarded as a cornerstone of Washington’s LGBTQ+ history, helped organize D.C.’s first Gay Pride Party in 1975. The event took place outside Lambda Rising, one of the first LGBTQ bookstores in the nation, which Maccubbin founded. For his decades of advocacy and activism, he is often referred to as “the patriarch of D.C. Pride.”
“I am so honored to serve as one of the grand marshals for WorldPride this year. This has been one of the most difficult times in recent history for queer and trans people globally,” Cox said. “But in the face of all the rhetorical, legislative and physical attacks, we continue to have the courage to embrace who we truly are, to celebrate our beauty, resilience and bravery as a community. We refuse to allow fear to keep us from ourselves and each other. We remain out loud and proud.”
“Pride is everything. It is protection, it is visibility, it is intersectional. But most importantly, it is a celebration of existence and protest,” Rapp said.
The three will march down 14th Street for the WorldPride Parade in Washington on June 7.
2025 D.C. Trans Pride was held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, May 17. The day was filled with panel discussions, art, social events, speakers, a resource fair and the Engendered Spirit Awards. Awardees included Lyra McMillan, Pip Baitinger, Steph Niaupari and Hayden Gise. The keynote address was delivered by athlete and advocate Schuyler Bailar.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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