The national publication The Advocate identified the victim of a murder that took place in a Baldwin Park motel last week as a transgendered woman in a report published on its website on Monday afternoon.
The Coroner's Department identified the victim to Patch and other media outlets last week as Vanhxay Inthichac, a 26-year-old male Baldwin Park resident, who was found dead by multiple blunt force injuries in a hotel in the 13900 block of Francisquito Avenue last Monday.
The Advocate report names the victim as Melony Smith and displays a photo purported to be her. Additionally, the Trans Pride L.A. group's Facebook page (screenshot pictured above) has the same identification and lists a fund for the victim's funeral expenses.
The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported Friday that an arrest was made in the case last week but reports a Sheriff's Department detective did not provide information on the motives in the case or the relationship between the suspected murderer and the victim. The male suspect named in the report, 28-year-old Stephen Gonzales is listed in the Sheriff's Department online inmate locator as being held in lieu of $1 million bail in the case.
The lead detective in the case, Lt. Dave Coleman, did not return phone calls left by Baldwin Park Patch on the case.
A spokeswoman for the District Attorney's office reached after hours Monday was unable to locate the case in the system to see if charges have yet to be filed and whether or not the case could be tried as a hate crime. She said the office would be able to provide more information on Tuesday.
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