Trans Latina Martina Caldera's Death Adds to 2021's Record Total
already record total to 56.Martina Caldera, 38, was found dead December 6 near a highway overpass in Channelview, Texas, a suburb of Houston, TV station KPRC reports.
Investigators with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office initially believed she was hit by a car, but they then discovered she had been shot several times.Her family held a demonstration at the site this month to call attention to her death and to demand justice.
Noel Caldera, one of her brothers, said he believes she was shot elsewhere and her body dumped by the overpass. He and other relatives said Martina was in a relationship with a married man, and they wondered if that put her in danger.The family members expressed love and acceptance for Martina, even though they used male pronouns in referring to her. “We didn’t care [she] was transgendered,” her other brother, Paul Caldera, told KPRC.
Noel said Martina was a loving person and fun to be with.Other friends and family noted on social media that she worked two full-time jobs, loved the music of Selena, and more than anything else loved her family.
