Share

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Twitter Share on WhatsApp Share on WhatsApp

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador. Salvadoran authorities confirmed the murder of Alexa Valle Landaverde, a 22-year-old transgender woman who had been reported missing since the second week of December 2021. The alleged perpetrator will be prosecuted for kidnapping.

This is the first murder against the LGBTI population in the Central American country.

According to her family, Valle Landaverde left the house she shared with her mother on Friday, December 10th. Communication with her was lost, prompting her mother to begin searching for her.

A family member told Presentes that Alexa left her home in the municipality of Quezaltepeque , about 21 kilometers north of the capital, early in the morning with her partner. At the end of the day, they tried to contact her, but her phone was turned off.

Police Chief Mauricio Arriaza reported on Friday, January 28, the discovery of human remains, presumably those of Alexa. However, it wasn't until Monday, January 31, that forensic authorities conducted DNA testing to confirm the victim's identity.

“We are presenting the capture of José Elías Hernández Morales for the crime of disappearance of persons, who on December 11, 2021 in Quezaltepeque deprived of liberty the young GAVL, known as Alexa,” said the police director, Mauricio Arriaza Chicas to the press.

During the event, Arriaza referred to Alexa using male pronouns. Valle Landaverde's human remains were found in a dry well in the municipality of Ciudad Arce , 26 kilometers west of the last place she was seen.

The identification

Official figures indicate that between January 1 and November 30, 2021, 1,124 people were reported missing in El Salvador .

“A dry well was located at the site where human remains were found, which will undergo DNA analysis to determine if they belong to the victim,” the prosecutor's office reported.

The Public Prosecutor's Office reported on Tuesday that José Elías Hernández Morales is accused of kidnapping. The investigation indicates that Hernández Morales arranged to meet Alexa for dinner on the day of her disappearance. During the initial hearing, he was ordered to be held in pretrial detention while the investigation continues.

“We are awaiting the results of the analyses within these investigative proceedings, as human remains have also been found in the Zapotitán Canton . At this time, we are awaiting the DNA results,” said the prosecutor in the case at the end of the initial hearing.

If it is confirmed that the remains found in the well are Alexa's, the crime will change to homicide, the prosecutor in the case said.

“They already did the DNA test, but we are still waiting for the results. We are going to leave it in God’s hands,” a relative of Alexa Presentes

Facebook and Whatsapp active after the disappearance

Alexa maintained an active Facebook profile , where she shared her daily activities. One of her last posts was a series of four photographs with a man who is not the one arrested.

Alexa's family confirmed to Presentes that the clothes she was wearing in the pictures were found at her house and were therefore old. Consequently, the photos were published after her disappearance.

When the first alert about the disappearance was made, Alexa's Facebook profile still appeared active. Jessica Hernández of the Solidarity Association to Promote Human Development – ​​ASPIDH Arcoiris Trans , showed Presentes screenshots of Alexa's Whatsapp account activity.

“She appeared online. My Facebook story showed that she had viewed my story, I messaged her on Messenger to ask how she was and the message appeared as seen,” Jessica told Presentes .

The organization Communicating and Empowering Trans Women – COMCAVIS Trans , reported eight murders of LGBTI people in 2020. As of December 16, 2021, seven people had been murdered : one trans man, four trans women, and two gay men . Alexa had not reported any threats against her; she worked as an informal clothing vendor in her municipality.

The hate crime aggravating circumstance does not apply to sentences

In 2015, the Salvadoran congress approved a reform to articles 129 and 155 of the penal code to recognize crimes based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression..

Most cases have been dismissed in the country's courts. Only five of the 600 murders of trans women that have occurred since 1992 have been prosecuted : Camila Díaz, Anahy Miranda, Tita Andrade, Sayuri Orellana, and Daniela Rodríguez.

The ruling in favor of Camila Díaz was the first conviction in the Central American country. In February 2021, three members of the Mara Salvatrucha MS-13 gang were sentenced to up to 66 years in prison for the murders of Sayuri Orellana and Daniela Rodríguez. Neither ruling considered the aggravating circumstance of a hate crime .