SC man pleads guilty to federal charge in slaying of Black transgender woman
A man has pleaded guilty to his role in the 2019 murder of a Black transgender woman in South Carolina.
Xavier Pinckney, 24, of Allendale, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in the killing of Pebbles LaDime “Dime” Doe, the U.S. Justice Department announced in a press release on Thursday.
Doe was found dead in a car in rural Allendale County on Aug. 4, 2019. In his plea, Pinckney confesses that he provided false and misleading information to investigators about the case, concealing the use of his phone to call and text Doe on the day she was killed and lying about seeing Daqua Ritter, who is accused of shooting Doe, at the time.
Pinckney faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the offense, but has not yet been sentenced.
“The defendant’s guilty plea underscores our commitment to holding individuals accountable for their actions in the pursuit of justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Steve Jensen of the FBI Columbia Field Office in a statement. “The FBI and our partners remain determined to investigate crimes against marginalized communities and those who perpetrate them.”
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said violence against the LGBTQ+ community is on the rise, including transgender women of color. Clarke said such crimes are a focus of federal investigators and prosecutors.
“The Justice Department remains steadfast in its commitment to investigating and prosecuting those who target LGBTQI+ people with acts of violence or who try to unlawfully obstruct investigations into these heinous crimes,” she said.
U.S. Attorney Adair Burroughs, the top federal prosecutor in South Carolina, said her office will seek justice for victims of any bias-motivated crimes. “Hate has no place in South Carolina,” she said. “The senseless murder of Dime Doe, and any act of violence against the LGBTQI+ community, confirms the need to confront hate in all its forms.”
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