The authorities confirmed the murder of José Humberto Sierra Soto, better known as ‘La Gata’, a trans woman well-known in the San Pedro neighborhood, in commune 4 (Aranjuez) of Medellín.
Around 1:14 pm this Wednesday, January 18, the CTI of the Prosecutor’s Office carried out the technical inspection of the adult over 68 years of age, belonging to the LGTBIQ+ population.
According to the report of the Information System for Security and Coexistence (SISC), the victim was found lifeless inside his home with multiple injuries caused by a sharp weapon.
The motives and perpetrators of this crime are the subject of investigation by the authorities.
This is the first case of murder of a person from this community in 2023.
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🚨 We are in search of the person responsible for the murder of “La Gata”, a trans woman from our city. We offer up to 200 million pesos in reward for information that leads us to those responsible for this crime.
If you have relevant data, do not hesitate to report it. 📲 pic.twitter.com/v1ADeUTcxe
— Secretary of Security and Coexistence (@seguridadmed) January 19, 2023
The Secretariat of Security and Coexistence of Medellín reported that increased the reward for this type of crime by up to 200 million pesos by those who provide information that allows them to find those responsible.
“In this 2023, by provision of the District Mayor’s Office and as part of the Articulated Strategy against Homicide, the amount of rewards for information that leads to the capture of those responsible for femicide and in cases of the LGBTQ+ population has doubled,” stated the agency.
For her part, Patricia Llano, Manager of Sexual Diversities and Gender Identities of Medellín, regretted this crime and assured that both the Prosecutor’s Office and the other authorities are investigating the fact to find the person responsible.
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“During 2022, the Prosecutor’s Office achieved more than 65% of the clarification of the homicides of Lgbtiq+ people that occurred in Medellín during that year. We work so that the justice mechanisms are effective and reduce impunity rates,” said the official.
Figures from the Mayor’s Office reveal that, during 2022 there were 10 cases of homicides against this population, of which 6 were clarified.
MEDELLIN