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Possible Hate Crime Murder in Fresno Area
We found out about a crime that was committed in the Fresno, CA, area. The
victim, Joel Robles, 29 years-old, Mexican, and possibly a
transgender-related crime. Information is limited at the moment, but we do
know Joel was stabbed three times to death. The Fresno police, from our
sources, have been describing this case as a possible "crime of passion" to
local residents and press.
victim, Joel Robles, 29 years-old, Mexican, and possibly a
transgender-related crime. Information is limited at the moment, but we do
know Joel was stabbed three times to death. The Fresno police, from our
sources, have been describing this case as a possible "crime of passion" to
local residents and press.
Hi everyone,
We found out about a crime that was committed in the Fresno, CA, area. The
victim, Joel Robles, 29 years-old, Mexican, and possibly a
transgender-related crime. Information is limited at the moment, but we do
know Joel was stabbed three times to death. The Fresno police, from our
sources, have been describing this case as a possible "crime of passion" to
local residents and press.
We want to stress that we are are not 100% sure that this was a hate crime.
However, the police have already begun telling local press that this may be
a crime of passion because he was gay.
We have spoken to Joel's close friends along with Central California Pride
and the local LGBT community there to offer services. There are plans for a
small gathering and vigil planned in Fresno tonight. We have also placed
calls to CUAV, NCLR, Transgender Law Center, and other organizations as
reporters have initially made comparisons to Gwen Araujo.
The Fresno Bee and local TV stations are after the story [including
Telemundo and Univision]. The Bee will publish the story tomorrow.
(additional article below)
We will keep you posted.
-Eddie
Eddie Gutiérrez
Associate Director of Regional Media
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
5455 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 1500
Los Angeles, CA 90036
direct: 323.634.2011
cell: 213.713.5565
fax: 323.933.2241
email: gutierrez [at] glaad.org
web: http://www.glaad.org
More Details in Fresno Murder
8/16/2004
abc30.com
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/news/081704_nw_fresno_murder.html
Fresno police revealed more details Monday in the investigation
into Fresno's 34th homicide.
Officers arrested 23-year-old Estanisalao Martinez on Sunday on
Highway 41, near the 180 interchange, after he was seen running
around on the roadway without clothes on.
Martinez is suspected of stabbing 29-year-old Joel Robles to
death.
Neighbors say the victim was known as a cross dresser.
Police believe the victim and suspect had met in Chinatown, and
then went back to the victim's apartment where the stabbing took
place.
Copyright ©2004 ABC Inc., KFSN-TV Inc.
We found out about a crime that was committed in the Fresno, CA, area. The
victim, Joel Robles, 29 years-old, Mexican, and possibly a
transgender-related crime. Information is limited at the moment, but we do
know Joel was stabbed three times to death. The Fresno police, from our
sources, have been describing this case as a possible "crime of passion" to
local residents and press.
We want to stress that we are are not 100% sure that this was a hate crime.
However, the police have already begun telling local press that this may be
a crime of passion because he was gay.
We have spoken to Joel's close friends along with Central California Pride
and the local LGBT community there to offer services. There are plans for a
small gathering and vigil planned in Fresno tonight. We have also placed
calls to CUAV, NCLR, Transgender Law Center, and other organizations as
reporters have initially made comparisons to Gwen Araujo.
The Fresno Bee and local TV stations are after the story [including
Telemundo and Univision]. The Bee will publish the story tomorrow.
(additional article below)
We will keep you posted.
-Eddie
Eddie Gutiérrez
Associate Director of Regional Media
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
5455 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 1500
Los Angeles, CA 90036
direct: 323.634.2011
cell: 213.713.5565
fax: 323.933.2241
email: gutierrez [at] glaad.org
web: http://www.glaad.org
More Details in Fresno Murder
8/16/2004
abc30.com
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/news/081704_nw_fresno_murder.html
Fresno police revealed more details Monday in the investigation
into Fresno's 34th homicide.
Officers arrested 23-year-old Estanisalao Martinez on Sunday on
Highway 41, near the 180 interchange, after he was seen running
around on the roadway without clothes on.
Martinez is suspected of stabbing 29-year-old Joel Robles to
death.
Neighbors say the victim was known as a cross dresser.
Police believe the victim and suspect had met in Chinatown, and
then went back to the victim's apartment where the stabbing took
place.
Copyright ©2004 ABC Inc., KFSN-TV Inc.
For more information:
http://www.glaad.org
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Fresno cross-dresser stabbed, killed
Police arrest fleeing naked man, review whether slaying was a possible hate crime.
By Pablo Lopez
The Fresno Bee
(Updated Tuesday, August 17, 2004, 10:30 AM)
Friends say Joel Robles worked hard as a dental assistant and for charity. He also liked to wear long, curly wigs and dress as a woman.
Robles, 29, became Fresno's 34th homicide victim this year after police found him stabbed multiple times early Sunday inside his apartment near downtown Fresno.
Police arrested Estanislao Martinez, 23, as he ran naked on Freeway 41 from Robles' apartment, Deputy Chief Rene Martin said Monday.
Robles' slaying is being closely monitored by his friends and gay advocates who contend the killing was motivated by hate. Martinez is in the downtown jail on suspicion of murder. His bail is $1.025 million.
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Martin said investigators are trying to determine whether there is evidence of a hate crime, which would be a penalty enhancement if Martinez were convicted. Martin declined to elaborate on the evidence against Martinez or whether he made any statements to detectives. The jail's records show Martinez was arrested at 5:20 a.m. and booked into jail at 9:07 p.m. Sunday, leaving him ample time to tell his side to detectives.
Robles lived with several other people in a spacious apartment in the 2900 block of East Huntington Boulevard, west of First Street, near Holmes Playground.
On Monday, red, white and pink roses and a religious candle formed a memorial shrine on the doorstep of his home, which had a broken front window. Residents say a naked man broke the window by jumping through it after Robles was stabbed.
At a vigil Monday evening, Robles' friends, some of them drag queens themselves, remembered him as a man who worked as a dental assistant during the week and as a woman who liked to wear wigs and dress conservatively in pink.
He was planning to be in a drag-queen fashion show Thursday. The winner typically donates the prize to his favorite charity, a friend said.
"Joel dressed as a woman not to pick up men, but because he felt comfortable that way," said Crispin Sanchez, 25, who lives in the same apartment complex as Robles.
Police, responding to a 911 call from Robles' home, found him stabbed multiple times about 4:30 a.m. Sunday. He died at University Medical Center about 7 a.m.
Martin said a preliminary investigation revealed that Robles "possibly met the suspect at an unknown location, near Chinatown," in southwest Fresno.
Martinez agreed to accompany Robles to Robles' apartment, Martin said, but at some point, "a disturbance occurred between the two parties, and the victim was stabbed multiple times."
Martinez then ran from the apartment, Martin said, but was arrested within minutes.
Sanchez spoke for the group of friends because many of them feared being ostracized if their identities were revealed. He contends Robles did not know Martinez and that Robles was a victim of a hate crime because he was dressed as a woman on the night he was slain.
"I don't think [Martinez] knew Joel was a guy, because when he dressed up, he really did look like a woman," Sanchez said.
If Robles was killed because Martinez suddenly discovered he was a man, then police should charge him with a hate crime, said Chris Daley, a lawyer and co-founder of the Transgender Law Center in San Francisco.
The reason: Robles was likely killed because of his sexual orientation, which is protected by state law, Daley said.
It would be similar to someone's killing his partner because he suddenly found out he was a Christian and not a Jew, or if he discovered he was white and not black, Daley said.
But police say it is too early in the investigation to determine whether a hate crime occurred. In general, Martin said, police have to prove a suspect targeted his victim strictly because of his race, nationality, religion or sexual orientation.
"We have to prove intent," Martin said.
There's no doubt in Sanchez's mind that Robles was singled out. He recalled other cross-dressers who have been beaten or killed in Fresno, and no one has been held accountable.
In one case, murder charges were dismissed against two men accused of fatally stabbing Charles Roe, 22, in the early morning hours of Sept. 20, 1998, and then setting his Clovis apartment afire to cover up the crime.
Prosecutors never filed hate crime charges.
Roe lived as a woman, kept his true sexual identity secret from most people and went by the name Chanel Chandler.
In Robles' case, Sanchez vowed: "This time, we're going to make sure police charge it as a hate crime and justice is done."
The reporter can be reached at plopez [at] fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6434.
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Police arrest fleeing naked man, review whether slaying was a possible hate crime.
By Pablo Lopez
The Fresno Bee
(Updated Tuesday, August 17, 2004, 10:30 AM)
Friends say Joel Robles worked hard as a dental assistant and for charity. He also liked to wear long, curly wigs and dress as a woman.
Robles, 29, became Fresno's 34th homicide victim this year after police found him stabbed multiple times early Sunday inside his apartment near downtown Fresno.
Police arrested Estanislao Martinez, 23, as he ran naked on Freeway 41 from Robles' apartment, Deputy Chief Rene Martin said Monday.
Robles' slaying is being closely monitored by his friends and gay advocates who contend the killing was motivated by hate. Martinez is in the downtown jail on suspicion of murder. His bail is $1.025 million.
Advertisement
Martin said investigators are trying to determine whether there is evidence of a hate crime, which would be a penalty enhancement if Martinez were convicted. Martin declined to elaborate on the evidence against Martinez or whether he made any statements to detectives. The jail's records show Martinez was arrested at 5:20 a.m. and booked into jail at 9:07 p.m. Sunday, leaving him ample time to tell his side to detectives.
Robles lived with several other people in a spacious apartment in the 2900 block of East Huntington Boulevard, west of First Street, near Holmes Playground.
On Monday, red, white and pink roses and a religious candle formed a memorial shrine on the doorstep of his home, which had a broken front window. Residents say a naked man broke the window by jumping through it after Robles was stabbed.
At a vigil Monday evening, Robles' friends, some of them drag queens themselves, remembered him as a man who worked as a dental assistant during the week and as a woman who liked to wear wigs and dress conservatively in pink.
He was planning to be in a drag-queen fashion show Thursday. The winner typically donates the prize to his favorite charity, a friend said.
"Joel dressed as a woman not to pick up men, but because he felt comfortable that way," said Crispin Sanchez, 25, who lives in the same apartment complex as Robles.
Police, responding to a 911 call from Robles' home, found him stabbed multiple times about 4:30 a.m. Sunday. He died at University Medical Center about 7 a.m.
Martin said a preliminary investigation revealed that Robles "possibly met the suspect at an unknown location, near Chinatown," in southwest Fresno.
Martinez agreed to accompany Robles to Robles' apartment, Martin said, but at some point, "a disturbance occurred between the two parties, and the victim was stabbed multiple times."
Martinez then ran from the apartment, Martin said, but was arrested within minutes.
Sanchez spoke for the group of friends because many of them feared being ostracized if their identities were revealed. He contends Robles did not know Martinez and that Robles was a victim of a hate crime because he was dressed as a woman on the night he was slain.
"I don't think [Martinez] knew Joel was a guy, because when he dressed up, he really did look like a woman," Sanchez said.
If Robles was killed because Martinez suddenly discovered he was a man, then police should charge him with a hate crime, said Chris Daley, a lawyer and co-founder of the Transgender Law Center in San Francisco.
The reason: Robles was likely killed because of his sexual orientation, which is protected by state law, Daley said.
It would be similar to someone's killing his partner because he suddenly found out he was a Christian and not a Jew, or if he discovered he was white and not black, Daley said.
But police say it is too early in the investigation to determine whether a hate crime occurred. In general, Martin said, police have to prove a suspect targeted his victim strictly because of his race, nationality, religion or sexual orientation.
"We have to prove intent," Martin said.
There's no doubt in Sanchez's mind that Robles was singled out. He recalled other cross-dressers who have been beaten or killed in Fresno, and no one has been held accountable.
In one case, murder charges were dismissed against two men accused of fatally stabbing Charles Roe, 22, in the early morning hours of Sept. 20, 1998, and then setting his Clovis apartment afire to cover up the crime.
Prosecutors never filed hate crime charges.
Roe lived as a woman, kept his true sexual identity secret from most people and went by the name Chanel Chandler.
In Robles' case, Sanchez vowed: "This time, we're going to make sure police charge it as a hate crime and justice is done."
The reporter can be reached at plopez [at] fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6434.
Public evenly split on Iraq war
Australia ties U.S. in women's soccer
Long-awaited Google IPO appears imminent
Carl Mydans, famed Life magazine photographer, dead at 97
FRESNO HOSPITAL Services Coordinator: ...
GRAPHIC DESIGNER FT. Award winning des...
Spray Rig Operator Will operate farm e...
MASSAGE THERAPIST CHIROPRACTIC OFFICE ...
SUPERVISOR, CUSTODIAL SERVICES $51,304...
PROGRAM MANAGER The California Health ...
GENERAL OFFICE Exp a plus. Duties: Tel...
RESTAURANT E-Z Trip formerly Kliens Re...
JOB COACH Working with developmentally...
NURSING OR Nurse, full time & Scrub/In...
OFFICE ASSISTANT-FT Duties includes: A...
Construction Estimator Must have minim...
MEDICAL ASSISTANT HEALTH ASSISTANT I H...
RN-LVN ADHC exp pref Assessment, Monit...
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Highly organized m...
TRUCK DRIVERS Class A. Western States ...
SALES F/T For Wholesale Grocery Distri...
Customer Sales/Svc SUMMER HELP Good pa...
BOOKKEEPER/ Secretary. Six attorney la...
Apt. Assistant. Manager Manager/Leasin...
All Top Jobs...
For more information:
http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/90066...
Joel was a good friend of mine. His parents were also very good friends of my mothers.
Although his life style came as a shock to us all who were close to him. we still keep him close to our Hearts and send all of our love to Joel and his Family.
He was a great Guy, very loving and caring. Joel would do anything he could to help someone if he was able to.
I'll never forget you Joel you were an amazing person. You are in my prayers. We love you.
Missing your unforgettable smile
Linda Hernandez
Although his life style came as a shock to us all who were close to him. we still keep him close to our Hearts and send all of our love to Joel and his Family.
He was a great Guy, very loving and caring. Joel would do anything he could to help someone if he was able to.
I'll never forget you Joel you were an amazing person. You are in my prayers. We love you.
Missing your unforgettable smile
Linda Hernandez
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