Man sentenced to life in prison for hate crime murder of transgender woman

RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. (WACH) — A man has been sentenced to life in prison after killing a transgender woman, Dime Doe, because of her gender identity.

Daqua Ritter was sentenced to life in prison Thursday afternoon at Matthew J. Perry, Jr. Federal Courthouse.

Judge Sherri Lydon ordered Ritter to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole, stating in court that the senselessness of the crime justified such a harsh sentence.

Dime Doe’s mother, Debra Saab, spoke during Thursday’s sentencing, describing her devastation, saying, “Every day is a struggle.”
Before Judge Lydon made her decision, Saab had asked that he receive the maximum sentence, saying “he should not see the light of day”.

Ritter was convicted following a guilty verdict at his February 2024 trial for Doe’s murder.

He was found guilty of three charges stemming from the incident: one count of hate crimes, one count of federal firearms and one count of obstruction.

Two South Carolina men were charged in connection with Doe’s death on August 4, 2019.

It turned out that Rittershot Doe because she shared that the two were in a relationship.

Xavier Pinckney, 24, was charged with two counts of obstruction for providing false and misleading statements to authorities investigating Doe’s death.