Man sentenced to life in prison for murder of transgender woman in Allendale

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) – A man convicted in a federal hate crime case for the 2019 murder of a transgender woman in Allendale was sentenced on Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Sherri Lydon sentenced Daqua Ritter to life in federal prison without the possibility of parole for the 2019 murder of Dime Doe.

Prosecutors said they hope the verdict and sentence will provide Doe’s loved ones with some sense of comfort and demonstrate that the Justice Department will vigorously prosecute those who commit violent acts of hate against the LGBTQI+ community.

A jury in February found Ritter guilty of one count of murder, one count of using a firearm to commit a crime and one count of obstruction of justice.

It was the first federal trial on a hate crime based on gender identity.

The sentencing took place in federal court in Columbia.

“Protecting civil rights remains one of our office’s priorities,” said U.S. Attorney Adair Ford Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “From the smallest communities, like Allendale, to everywhere in South Carolina where hate and injustice exist. We will continue to fight for the rights of those targeted because of their race, their religion, their gender identity or sexual orientation, or their abilities.”

It reflects the “severity of Ritter’s heinous crime of murdering Dime Doe,” said Special Agent Steve Jensen of the FBI’s Columbia field office.

“It is our hope that this outcome brings some closure to Doe’s loved ones,” Jensen said. “As they continue to mourn this tragedy, the FBI remains steadfast in ensuring the protection and dignity of all citizens.”

The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that Ritter persuaded Doe to drive to a sparsely populated rural South Carolina county in August 2019 and shot her to death after news of their secret sexual relationship emerged.

The indictment alleges that the motive was Doe’s actual and perceived gender identity.

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Twenty-eight witnesses testified in the federal trial, including local residents and acquaintances of the suspect who spoke about the incidents on the day of the murder. Witnesses also included experts who discussed evidence collected at the scene.

During the trial, jurors were told about a secret sexual relationship between Ritter and Doe.

Jurors were told the case came to a head when Ritter’s then-girlfriend, Delasia Green, discovered text messages between Ritter and Doe.

Green stated that she went through Ritter’s phone and said she had a “gut feeling” and wanted to go through his texting apps, Facebook and text messages. She stated that she saw text messages between Ritter and an unsaved number, later identified as Doe’s.

Green stated that she questioned Ritter about Doe. She says he told her “not to question his sexuality,” and that he was angry because she confronted him about the text messages.

Ritter’s cousin Jamie Priester testified that Ritter said he told Doe to meet with him to talk about a video and photo of them together. Priester testified that Ritter said that when Doe looked down to delete the video, he shot her the first time.

It was no secret in Allendale that Doe had begun her social transition as a woman shortly after graduating high school, her close friends testified. Doe started dressing in skirts, getting her nails done and wearing extensions. She and her friends went out drinking. They discussed the boys they saw.

One of those boys was Ritter, who traveled from New York to visit family during the summer. Doe and Ritter became close over the course of those stays.

Deadly tendency

In recent years, attacks on the LGBTQ+ community have increased, and Doe is one of many transgender and gender fluid murder victims within the CSRA. Others include:

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