Content Warning: Trans Violence, Trans Murder
Marilyn Monroe Cazares was a 22-year-old homeless trans woman was found dead with stab marks on July 15 in Brawley, California. Her death is currently being investigated as a homicide and her family believes the incident was a hate crime.
Brawley police and firefighters found Marilyn’s body outside of an abandoned building when they responded to a call about a couch fire at around 8:30am Monday morning. On July 15, City Commander Brett Houser said that there was no clear motive and that the case was being investigated as a homicide.
Aubrey Cazares, Marilyn’s 19-year-old sister, said that she believed her sister’s death was clearly a hate crime.
“[She] was burned and, you know, that’s so hateful to do to somebody,” she told the The Desert Review
Sonia Casteñeda, Marilyn’s aunt, said that Cezares admired Marilyn Monroe and more celebrities such as Nicki Minaj and Cardi B.
“She was just fabulous; always rocking crazy outfits, crazy wigs,” she said.
According to Sonia, Marilyn had an open home.
“[She] was a different person when [she] was out on the street; that’s where [she] wanted to be…[she] had a home, but [she] wanted to be on the street, if you can understand that.
“Any negative attention [Marilyn] would take and flip it,” Sonia said. “[She] was always happy living [her] life every day to the full.”
According to The Advocate, Casteñeda agreed that Marilyn was likely the victim of a hate crime, but said that she trusted the police to do a thorough investigation and believed that residents of Brawley would help with tips.
The Imperial Valley LGBT Resource Center posted a memorial on Monday after Marilyn’s body was found and noted that, “transgender and gender non-conforming people face a heightened risk of fatal violence due to a toxic mix of transphobia and misogyny.’” They also posted a link to a GoFundMe page for Cazares’ funeral.
Marilyn is the 23rd known trans or non-binary person who has been murdered in 2020. She is the seventh trans woman of color to be killed in the past 3 weeks. Like many others, Cazares was initially deadnamed and misgendered in police reports and media.