Two Men Charged With Hate Crimes in 2019 Killing of Trans Woman

Two South Carolina men have been charged with hate crimes in connection with the murder of transgender woman Pebbles LaDime “Dime” Doe in 2019.

Doe was shot to death in Allendale County, S.C., August 4, 2019. Her body was found in a car there. A federal indictment, unsealed Wednesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, charges Daqua Ritter, 26, with a hate crime for the murder of Doe because of her gender identity, using a firearm in connection with the hate crime, and obstruction of justice, according to a press release.

The indictment also charges Xavier Pinckney, 24, with two obstruction offenses for providing false and misleading statements to authorities investigating the murder.

“The indictment alleges that … Ritter shot Doe, a transgender woman, because of her actual and perceived gender identity,” the press release says. Ritter is also charged with misleading state investigators about his whereabouts the day of the murder.

Authorities further allege in the indictment that Pinckney concealed from state investigators the use of his phone to call and text Doe the day of the murder and lied to state and federal investigators about seeing Ritter after the morning of the murder.

The hate crime count against Ritter carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The counts charging Ritter and Pinckney with obstruction of justice carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The count charging Pinckney with lying to federal investigators carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

The FBI’s Columbia, S.C., Field Office investigated the case, assisted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Doe’s death was the second killing of a trans woman in South Carolina within the same month and the 14^th of 2019.