A transgender woman’s mother has received some justice for the death of her daughter, but her heart remains heavy.
On Tuesday, 25-year-old James Dixon was sentenced to 12 years in prison for murdering Islan Nettles, a 21-year-old transwoman. Dixon had beat up Nettles on the streets of Harlem, New York in Aug. 2013 after he found out she was born male.
Delores Nettles, Islan’s mother, cried while in the Manhattan Supreme Court and had strong words for Dixon, who avoided eye contact with the devastated parent.
“I hope you die, I hope you rot because you took away something that you should have no right to take away from anybody,” she told Dixon, according to the New York Post. “How can you sleep at night, how can you rest?”
Though the killer is now behind bars, Delores’ pain that has grown out of the tragic case persists. Here are 5 reasons why the loving mother continues to grieve.
Islan did not ask for trouble.
In Islan’s case, her death occurred simply because of the way she looked. On the day Islan was killed, she was standing on the street with a group of people. Dixon and his friends approached the group, “thinking they were girls,” he reportedly told police. According to Detective Heriberto Vasquez, Dixon began to converse with Nettles, but eventually asked her if “she was a guy.” He then became upset, pushed her to the ground, and began punching her.
Islan’s murder was brutal.
Islan died due to blunt impact injuries to the head at the hands of Dixon, ABC7 reported. She fell unconscious and was taken to Harlem Hospital, where it was discovered that she suffered from serious brain injuries. She was on life support for five days, until she died.
Islan’s killer did not receive the desired penalty.
Prosecutors wanted Dixon to receive no less than 17 years for murdering Nettles, but Justice Daniel Conviser offered the young man a deal of 12 years after he pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter. Islan’s family thinks he should have received more time for the crime.
Anthony Mundon, Islan’s father, was not in court, but prosecutor Nick Viorst read a statement from the proud parent that discussed his issue with Dixon’s sentencing.
“How can a plea deal even be offered given the severe nature of the crime baffles the mind,” Mundon wrote. “Twelve years is nowhere near the appropriate sentence for the man who didn’t care that she was already unconscious when she hit the ground and mercilessly continued to pummel her.”
Islan’s killer was not immediately arrested.
Dixon was charged with manslaughter in March 2015, 18 months after the brutal beating. Another man, 20-year-old Paris Wilson, was arrested for the crime initially, but charges were dropped when it was discovered that he was misidentified.
Transgender murders are likely to continue.
In 2015, transgender murders hit an all-time high in the U.S. Twenty-one transgender homicide victims, all of whom were people of color, were documented that year, according to a report from the Human Rights Campaign. Lourdes Hunter, co-founder and national director of the TransWomen of Color Collective, spoke to Rewire about Dixon’s murder and said that the danger of being a transwoman isn’t over.
“James Dixon going to jail will not stop trans murders, it will not bring Islan Nettles back, it will not bring peace to Delores Nettles who for many years sat in anguish as the murderer of her child roamed the streets due to the negligence of the New York Police Department and the New York District Attorney” Hunter said.
