Trans Woman Accused of Murder; She Says It Was Self-Defense
A Dallas transgender woman will be in court Wednesday on a murder charge, but she insists that she acted in self-defense.Victor Suarez, 35, was shot to death last year in Dallas.
Gaby Vidanapereyra, 28, an undocumented trans woman, had just returned from the Miss Universe contest in Florida the night of May 18, 2021, when she encountered Suarez, activist and blogger Stacey Monroe told the Dallas Voice.
Suarez, a neighor of Vidanapereyra’s, said he would pay her to have sex with him, and she refused several times but finally agreed, according to Monroe.Vidanapereyra got into Suarez’s truck, and “after whatever they did,” Suarez told her, “Today I’m going to teach you how to be a man,” Monroe related.
Suarez pulled out a gun and attempted to fire it, but the safety was on. As they struggled over the weapon, the safety came off and Suarez was shot in the chest, Monroe said.Vidanapereyra managed to gain control of his gun when Suarez got out of the truck and appeared to be coming around to the passenger side. “Under the immediate influence of fear, she believed he was going to fight for control of the gun again,” Monroe said in a statement shared with The Advocate. “Without time for cool reflection, the fear and terror he provoked turned into rage, and she followed him and shot him three times.”The next day, Vidanapereyra went to police and admitted to shooting Suarez, Monroe said.
