Local
Suspect charged in murder of trans woman in PG County apartment
District Heights man apprehended in Arlington following unrelated arrest
Prince Georgeās County, Md., Police announced on Wednesday that homicide investigators identified and filed murder charges against a 27-year-old District Heights, Md., man for the July 17 homicide of transgender woman Taya Ashton, 20, who was found shot to death in her apartment in nearby Suitland, Md.
In a statement, P.G. Police said they charged DeAllen Davonta Price of the 6400 block of Hil Mar Drive in the unincorporated area of District Heights with first-degree and second-degree murder and related charges in connection with Ashtonās death.
According to the statement, while P.G. police detectives identified Price as a suspect in the Ashton murder, Arlington County, Va. Police arrested him on July 18 on an unrelated robbery charge after he attempted to flee from Arlington and Metro Transit police inside a train tunnel at the Pentagon City Metro Station.
āWith the assistance of Metro Transit Police, Prince Georgeās County Police detectives and a K9 officer searched those tracks and recovered a weapon thatās now been linked to Tayaās murder,ā the P.G. Police statement says.
āPrice remains in custody in Virginia pending extradition to Prince Georgeās County,ā the statement says. āThe motive remains under investigation,ā says the statement, but it adds, āDetectives have uncovered no evidence suggesting Tayaās murder was due to her gender identity.ā
The announcement by P.G. police of Priceās arrest came on the same day that family members and friends of Taya Ashton held a vigil to honor her life at 4 p.m. on Wednesday at River Terrace Park in Northeast D.C. along the banks of the Anacostia River, which is part of the neighborhood were Ashton grew up.
Veteran D.C. LGBTQ rights advocate Phil Pannell, who attended and spoke at the vigil, said that in addition to family members and friends of Ashtonās, those who spoke included Prince Georgeās County Stateās Attorney Aisha Braveboy; D.C. Council member Trayon White (D-Ward 8), D.C. transgender rights advocate Earline Budd, and numerous community leaders in D.C. and P.G. County. Budd said more than 200 people turned out for the vigil.
At the conclusion of the vigil, many of the participants drove in a lengthy caravan of cars to the apartment building in the Suitland section of Prince Georgeās County, where Ashton lived and where her life ended, to further honor her.
āThe nearby streets were completely filled with people coming out for Taya and her family,ā Budd said.
A three-page charging document filed in Prince Georgeās County District Court by P.G. Police on Wednesday, July 21, provides a detailed account of how homicide detectives used cell phone records and high-tech firearm ballistics techniques to link Price to the murder.
P.G. police said homicide detectives began an intense investigation into the murder almost immediately after family members who discovered Ashtonās body at her apartment on July 17 called police. Ashtonās grandfather, Stuart Anderson, who said Taya Ashtonās status as a transgender woman was accepted by her family, told the Blade that family members who arrived at the apartment could not find any evidence of a forced entry, leading them to believe the assailant responsible for the murder may have been someone Ashton knew and invited into her home.
The charging document says that although Ashtonās phone was missing from the apartment and presumed stolen at the time her body was found, detectives obtained her phone number from family members and used it to discover through the tracing of her calls and text message records that she and Price communicated with each other by text or calls between Friday, July 16, one day prior to the murder, and at 11:42 p.m. Saturday, July 17.
āThis is the last call that the Decedent makes or answers before being found deceased,ā the charging document states.
According to the charging document, earlier in the evening of July 17 Ashton and a friend of hers exchanged text messages in which Ashton wrote, āMy dude is on his wayā which the friend understood to mean a sexual encounter was expected to take place. A short time later Ashton told her friend in a follow-up text message āthat a sexual encounter occurred,ā the charging document says.
āAs the investigation continued, it was discovered that Defendant was arrested on 07/18/2021 at approximately 1642 hours [4:42 p.m.] by the Arlington County Police Department for a theft,ā the charging document in support of Priceās arrest says.
It says that when Arlington Police initially attempted to apprehend Price, āhe jumped off of a platform and ran into a subway tunnel towards the Pentagon Metro Station.ā The document says he hid inside the tunnel for about two hours before being arrested after he walked out of the tunnel into the station.
At the time of his arrest, the charging document says, Price was in possession of a Gucci cross strap bag with distinct markings that Ashtonās family members reported was missing from her apartment at the time her body was found.
A short time later, P.G. County homicide investigators, who arrived on the scene, conducted a search of the train tunnel and found a black semi-automatic .40 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun, the charging document states.
It says that that a police firearm expert, after examining the gun, āwas able to conclude that the fired .40 caliber cartridge casing recovered from the scene [of the murder] and the fired projectile recovered from the Decedentās body were fired from the Smith and Wesson handgun bearing serial #HTU3274 recovered from the area the Defendant hid from police.ā
The document states that when questioned after his arrest, Price waived his Miranda rights to withhold comment and obtain representation from an attorney and acknowledged that police had obtained access to his correct cell phone number.
āHe also admitted to being sexually intimate with the Decedent and stated that he has known the Decedent for approximately three months,ā the charging document continues. āHe then admitted to being at the Decedentās apartment the night of the murder and being sexually intimate with the Decedent that night,ā it says.
āBased on the aforementioned facts, the evidence indicates that the Defendant is responsible for shooting and killing the Decedent,ā the document concludes. The document does not state whether detectives asked Price whether he committed the murder or whether or not he admitted or denied fatally shooting Taya Ashton.
An arrest warrant that accompanies the charging document says that in addition to being charged with first-degree and second-degree murder, police charged Price with Assault-First Degree; Firearm Use/Felony Crime of Violence; Assault-Second Degree; Handgun on Person; and Loaded Handgun on Person.
Court records show that Price had been arrested in Virginia and Maryland several times prior to his latest arrests beginning in 2012 on charges that include illegal possession of a firearm, armed robbery, misdemeanor theft, and grand larceny.
District of Columbia
D.C. mayorĀ honors 10th anniversary of Team Rayceen Productions
LGBTQ entertainment, advocacy organization praised for āvital workā
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser today issued an official proclamation declaring Monday, March 18, 2024, as Team Rayceen Day in honor of the local LGBTQ entertainment and advocacy organization Team Rayceen Productions named after its co-founder Rayceen Pendarvis.
āWhereas Rayceen, along with Team Rayceen Productions co-founder, Zar, have spent 10 years advocating for the Black LGBTQI+ community using various forms including in-person events, social media, and YouTube,ā the proclamation states.
The proclamation adds that through its YouTube Channel, Team Rayceen Productions created a platform for āBlack LGBTQIA+ individuals to discuss various topics including spotlighting nonprofit organizations and small businesses, voter registration and participation, the state of LGBTQIA+ rights and resources in D.C, gender equality and equity, and the amplification of opportunities to bring the community together.ā
It also praises Team Rayceen Productions for its partnership with the Mayorās Office of LGBTQ Affairs in helping to produce āexciting events like the District of Pride talent showcase held each June and the iconic 17th Street High Heel Race celebrated in October.ā
āWhereas I thank Team Rayceen Productions for its vital and necessary work and am #DCProud to wish you all the best as you continue to support Black LGBTQIA+ residents across all 8 Wards,ā the proclamation continues.
āNow, therefore, I, the Mayor of Washington, D.C., do hereby proclaim March 18, 2024, as TEAM RAYCEEN DAY in Washington, D.C. and do commit this observance to all Washingtonians,ā it concludes.
āWe thank Mayor Bowser for this special proclamation, which highlights where it all began, with the Black LGBTQIA+ community of Washington, D.C,ā Team Rayceen Productions says in a statement. āStarting with The Ask Rayceen Show, Reel Affirmation, and events with D.C. Public Library to Art All Night, Silver Pride by Whitman-Walker, and events with the Mayorās Office of LGBTQ Affairs, we are #dcproud of what we have accomplished in the Nationās Capital,ā the statement says.
“For TEAM RAYCEEN DAY, we thank the diverse group of individuals who have made everything we have done possible by volunteering their time and talents over the past decade ā as online co-hosts, event staff, performers, DJs, photographers, and more,ā says the statement.
Local
D.C. jury finds AARP Services illegally fired gay man
Former employee awarded $2.1 million in damages
A D.C. Superior Court jury on March 15 handed down a verdict finding that the D.C.-based AARP Services, Inc., an arm of the AARP that interacts with businesses supportive of the nationās seniors, illegally fired a gay manager because of his sexual orientation.
The juryās verdict, which it said was based on a āpreponderance of evidence,ā came six years after Richard A. āRickā Deus Jr., who worked for AARP and AARP Services for 11 years, filed a lawsuit against his former employer in May 2018. The lawsuit charges that AARP Services violated the D.C. Human Rights Act by firing him after falsely accusing him of accepting gifts for travel from businesses affiliated with AARP that violated AARP employee ethics policies.
His lawsuit says he was fired in February 2018. At that time, he held the title of director of program management at AARP Services.
The lawsuit says AARP Services cited the alleged travel violations as the reason for its decision to fire him. The lawsuit named AARP Services and its then chief executive officer, Lawrence Flanagan, as the two defendants responsible for Deusās firing.
But the juryās verdict only named AARP Services as being at fault in the firing. It did not find Flanagan at fault and did not hold him responsible for damages, even though Flanagan testified at the trial that he made the final decision to terminate Deus on grounds that Deus violated the travel policy.
The jury also chose not to hold AARP Services responsible for paying punitive damages to Deus, whose lawsuit called for $5 million in compensatory damages and an additional $5 million in punitive damages.
In its verdict, according to online court records, the jury awarded Deus $1,612,916.18 in compensatory damages and $578,351 in damages for emotional distress that AARP Services is required to pay Deus. The court records show the jury awarded Deus another $1,118.89 to be paid by AARP Services for its alleged breach of contract with him in its decision to fire him.
An attorney representing AARP Services immediately following the verdict filed a motion requesting that Superior Court Judge Shana Frost Matini, who presided over the trial, issue a ādirected verdictā overturning the juryās verdict.
Such a motion is often filed by individuals or organizations on the losing side of a lawsuit, but such requests are rarely approved. Matini said she would schedule a hearing to consider the motion in May.
āIām thrilled that the jury found that I was treated differently from my co-workers and discriminatorily fired,ā Deus told the Washington Blade after the jury handed down its verdict. āThatās clearly what they found, and they awarded emotional pain and suffering,ā he said. āBut overall, Iām elated. Itās been six years of my life that Iāve been fighting and telling people that I was treated differently than anybody else and today I got my vindication.ā
Laura Segal, AARPās Senior Vice President for External Affairs, told the Blade in a statement, āAARP is pleased with the juryās verdict that Lawrence Flanagan lawfully terminated Richard Deusās employment.ā She added, āAARP Services, Inc. (ASI) disagrees with the remainder of the verdict and is exploring all options for further legal review. We remain committed to an inclusive culture and warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome.ā
Attorneys representing AARP Services argued at the trial and presented witnesses denying Dues was fired because of his sexual orientation. They asserted that AARP Services had and still has gay and lesbian employees and managers and that the company has a longstanding policy of prohibiting discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or marital status.
Deusās lawsuit accused AARP Services of targeting Deus for discrimination based on his marriage to another man as well as for his sexual orientation. The jury did not find that AARP Services engaged in discrimination against Deus based on his marital status.
Flanagan was among the lead defense witnesses who testified at the nine-day-long trial. He testified that he has worked for many years with gay colleagues, has a gay relative who he admires, and would never have allowed his staff to engage in discrimination while he served as AARP Services CEO.
He noted in his testimony that his decision to fire Deus was based, in part, on the recommendation of AARP Servicesā human resources or personnel director, Michael Loizzi, who is an openly gay man. Loizzi, who also testified at the trial, said that as a gay man he would never have called for Deus or anyone else to be fired because of their sexual orientation. He stated in his testimony that he recommended to Flanagan that Deus be fired because Deus violated AARP Services travel policy and lied to his supervisor about the details of the travel to get his supervisorās approval under false pretenses.
Deus, during his own testimony, strongly disputed claims that he obtained permission for his travel by providing false information to his supervisor. His lawsuit states that both his supervisor and AARP Servicesā legal counsel cleared him for the two trips that he has been accused of taking in violation of policy.
His lawsuit identifies heterosexual AARP and AARP Services employees who have taken business trips like the two taken by Deus that allegedly violated travel policy who were not fired or disciplined. A few faced disciplinary actions but were allowed to retain their jobs, the lawsuit says.
āThis case is about the unequal treatment of a gay man when juxtaposed to the treatment of our heterosexual comparators,ā Darrell Chambers, Deusās lead attorney, told the Washington Blade after the verdict. āThis is not a case about an organization or a group of people who hate gay people and decided that they were going to fire this man because they hate him,ā Chambers said.
āInstead, itās a case where the punishment that they consistently applied to gay employees, re Mr. Deus and Mr. Sanders, was harsher, far harsher than the punishment they applied to heterosexual employees who committed the same or similar acts.ā
Chambers was referring to former AARP Services employee Jack Sanders, who is gay and who testified on video played at the trial that he was summarily fired on grounds that he allegedly sent pornographic photos or video images to another AARP Services employee, who complained about receiving the pornographic images.
Sanders has said the pornographic images in question were sent to the employee by his ex-boyfriend who wanted to portray Sanders in a negative light. Through telephone and wire transmission records Sanders was able to show that the images in question were sent from a device in Washington, D.C. at a time that Sanders was in Chicago, proving that Sanders could not have been the person who sent the images.
Deusās attorneys brought out at the trial that AARP Services failed to give Sanders a chance to defend himself, prompting him to file his own lawsuit against AARP Services for which a settlement was reached. The terms of the settlement have not been publicly disclosed. But Deusās attorneys cited Sandersās case as yet another example of how AARP Services has treated gay employees differently from heterosexual employees.
AARP Services attorney Alison Davis argued during the trial that discrimination based on Deusās sexual orientation had nothing at all to do with the decision to fire him. Davis told the jury that the two trips that Deus took that led to his firing, one to New York City and the other to New Orleans to attend the Sugar Bowl football game, were financed in part by companies that do business with AARP in violation of AARP and AARP Services policies for travel. Among other things, she said the Sugar Bowl is considered a championship game that has a value higher than smaller gifts that AARP employees are allowed to accept.
Deus testified that his reason for accepting an invitation to the Sugar Bowl game was to spend time with the new account director at the Allstate insurance company, which paid for the Sugar Bowl game ticket. āIn 2019, we were going to be negotiating a new contract with Allstate and we wanted to establish a good relationship with her before the contract negotiations began,ā he told the Blade. āThatās how you do business.ā
Deus said he was referring to Allstateās business relationship with AARP Services, which he said, similar to its interaction with other businesses, helps AARP provide support and services to the nationās senior citizens.
In her cross examination of Deus on the witness stand, Davis also raised AARP Servicesā claim in contesting the lawsuit that the emotional distress and depression that Deus says he suffered because of his firing could have been caused by issues unrelated to the firing. Davis asked Deus if his emotional distress was caused by stress that Deus has said he experienced years earlier when he came out as gay to his parents, who are ordained ministers, and in his interaction with his sister, who had been diagnosed as being bipolar.
Deus said that while his coming out to his conservative parents nearly 30 years ago and his sisterās mental health issues were a concern years earlier, he and his parents had long since reconciled over his sexual orientation and his sisterās mental health issues played no role whatsoever in the emotional distress he experienced after being fired by AARP Services.
In her cross examination of Deus on the witness stand, Davis also asked him if his decision to be interviewed by the Washington Blade last year for a Blade story about his lawsuit could have contributed to the difficulty, he said he encountered in finding employment after he was fired by AARP Services. Deus, who testified that he was hired by at least one other company that later laid him off, said he did not believe a Blade story about his lawsuit would have an adverse impact on him.
Baltimore
Power Plant Live! opens Club 4, its first LGBTQ bar
Ryan Butler, known by his drag persona Brooklyn Heights, helped launch venue
BY JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV | Ryan Butler wanted a place where all members of the LGBTQ community could enjoy drag, drinks and fellowship in a safe space. He found it by the Inner Harbor.
Butler jumped at the opportunity to help open Club 4, the first LGBTQ-themed bar to occupy the popular Power Plant Live! venue.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
-
Commentary4 days ago
Sexting with younger guy has me asking: How queer am I?
-
Commentary5 days ago
What will you do to make Pride safe this year?
-
Africa3 days ago
Burundi’s president reiterates LGBTQ people should be stoned in a stadium
-
Texas4 days ago
Pornhub blocks Texas accessing site over age verification law