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**CAUTION** This post includes graphic details about the murder of another human being.
Joshua Vallum of Mississippi received a 49 year prison sentence yesterday for the murder of Mercedes Williamson. Williamson was a transgender woman and this is the 1st case ever prosecuted under the federal Hate Crimes Prevention Ave involving a victim being targeted for their gender identity. Williamson was 7 @ the time of her murder back in 2015. On the night of the murder, Vallum lured Williamson into a car in Alabama, drove her 50 miles to his family home in Mississippi, he shocked her with a stun gun, then stabbed her with a pocketknife. Williamson tried to get away from Vallum, but he went after her, and when he caught her he bashed her in the head with a hammer. Prosecutors said that Vallum killed Williamson to prevent other members of the Latin Kings gang, that he was apart of, from finding out about them having sex. According to gang rules, homosexual activities are forbidden and deemed punishable by death. US District Judge Louis Guirola Jr had the option to sentence him to life in prison, but decided against it due to a plea agreement between prosecutors and defense attorneys who said that said Vallum's neglected childhood and other issues. Guirola and defense attorneys declared that his history of abuse as a child had to be considered. Brief thoughts: Listen, many of us had hard childhoods, many of us have gone through difficult things in life, but you don't see us going around killing people just because we don't like who they truly are. If we don't like somebody, we just remove them from our lives and act like they don't exist...unless it's Donald Trump. Don't get me wrong, 49 years is a long time to spend behind bars, however I do think it's bullshit that he wasn't given life in prison just because had a hard childhood. Boo freaking hoo! If the trauma of your childhood is affecting you that much, then you need to be seeking counseling and getting help, not going around killing people! Important note: by no means am I mocking people who've traumatic things happen to them during their childhood because I am 1 of them, all I'm saying is, you don't see me or other people like me ending people's lives. I don't buy the story of him having a hard childhood as the excuse for him killing this girl, I don't buy it for 1 second. He killed her because what his fellow gang members thought about him was more important than her life...bottom line. The crazy thing to me is that he didn't want his other gang members to find out, but by killing her, THEY FOUND OUT! And whether he knows it or not, it's a fact that gangs are huge in prison, soooo does he not think that there's a faction of his gang in prison? And does he not think that they won't know how he wound up in prison? I would like to think they'll place him in some sort of protective custody, but just in the off chance that they don't, the thing that you didn't want to happen, is ultimately going to happen, sooo what was the point?? I don't know how old he currently is, but there's a possibility that he could get out of prison 1 day, granted he'll be up there in age, but regardless he'll be "free." He'll be free to attempt to enjoy the remaining years of his life, meanwhile this girl was murdered just for being who she was. Another important note: Nobody deserves to have their life taken from them and especially nobody deserves to have their life taken from them just for being who they were born to be. Regardless of how the life was taken, if a person's life has been taken just for being who they were born to be, being the religion that they are, being the color that they are, etc. on this blog I will say their names until I can't say them any longer! #sayhername
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