Memorial/Demonstration for Anti-Homophobia

3 Charged in Hate Crime Death of Teen : 4 Arrested in Death of Boy Who Lived as Girl
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NEWARK, Calif. (AP) -- Three young men were charged with murder Friday in the hate-crime slaying of a cross-dressing 17-year-old boy whose body was found in a shallow grave two weeks after he disappeared from a party.

Police believe Eddie Araujo showed up at the house party as a girl named "Lida," and was assaulted and killed after the suspects discovered he was a boy.

"They're going to pay for what they did," said Araujo's aunt, Imelda Guerrero. "I hope everybody out there who sees this learns something from this because he was a beautiful person inside and out."

Michael William Magidson, 27, Jaron Chase Nabors, 19, and Jose Antonio Merel, 24, all of Newark, appeared in court on charges of murder with a hate-crime enhancement Friday. They entered no pleas and were held without bail.

Nabor's lawyer, Robert J. Beles, said his client was a college student who had no violence in his background. "There's no bias in him," Beles said, nothing to indicate that Nabors "would actively participate in any type of homophobic activity."

It wasn't immediately clear what prosecutors decided to do with a fourth suspect jailed Wednesday, Jose's brother Paul Richard Merel Jr., 25. He didn't appear in court with the other three. Prosecutors left without speaking to reporters.

Araujo, who had been dressing like a girl "for some time," had clashed with the suspects about a week earlier, and tensions flared up again at the Oct. 3 party, said Newark Police Lt. Tom Milner. "We don't know if that's the prime factor in the altercation or if there were other factors involved such as revenge," Milner said. "These things are all definitely in play."

The boy was reported missing by his mother when he didn't come home from the Oct. 3 party. On Wednesday, two weeks later, one of the suspects led police to the body, buried in a shallow grave in the Sierra foothills about 150 miles east of his home in Newark, a San Francisco suburb.

Violence against transgender people -- a broad range of identities including cross-dressers, transvestites, transsexuals and those born with characteristics of both sexes -- is unfortunately common, said Rachael Janelle Light, president of Transgender San Francisco, an advocacy group.

"If it's not a hate crime, I don't know what other crime it could be. Why would you do that to a young person?" Light said. "We all lose a piece of ourselves when this happens."

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Basically what happened was that a fremont/newark boy who dressed as a women and identified as a women, went to a party and met four boys. they were flirting with her and when they found out she was really a boy, they beat her, strangled her, and burried her in the sierra mountains. they are trying to get off all charges, including hate crime charges (which is one 1-3 years in jail) and might get on bail was well.

This behavoir is unacceptable anywhere. Because it happed down a few streets from my house scares me to no end. we cannot have this be 'another murder' in time, but a situation to learn from and fight for.

Jorge has called a demonstration near Eddie Araujo's (Gwen) school on Friday Oct. 25th at 5 p.m. We would really appreciate it if you all could join this anti-hate, anti-homophobic 'protest'/demonstraton. We will be marching down Mowry Ave. from Fremont BART at 4, and march towards the location of the memorial. If we leave this murder without pointing out the fact of homophobia in society, no one will learn.

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From BART: We will meet at fremont bart at 4 pm. Its down one street, but bring your bike if you can. We will march from the bart station near Newark Memorial.


The march/protest will begin at Fremont BART at 4:

2000 BART Way
Fremont, CA 94536

The demonstration will be on the corner of Mowry and Alpsenross at 5:

2086 NewPark Mall
Newark, Ca 94560


FRIDAY OCT. 25TH 4PM FREMONT BART! BRING SIGNS, FLAGS, AND YOUR OPEN MINDS -STAY SAFE AND SMART! (You know..no fire, bombs, etc..etc..Fremont cops are pretty strict...)