Transgender woman gets five-year sentence in silicone death

A Houston transgender woman has been sentenced to five years in prison for giving another transgender woman a fatal silicone injection meant to enlarge her breasts. Guadalupe Camarena could have faced up to life in prison after pleading guilty in October to aggravated assault in the 2003 death of 22-year-old Delfino Gonzalez. "I feel real bad about what happened. Never, never did I ever want to harm someone," said Camarena, 34, who was sentenced Wednesday. Gonzalez was one of four Houston transgenders who died in 2003 after undergoing the illegal procedure they sought as an alternative to hormone therapy. Silicone injections, which are not approved or offered by plastic surgeons, are also much cheaper than surgery. Gonzalez died three days after receiving the injection after the substance entered her bloodstream. Prosecutor Vanessa Velasquez said Camarena and others hosted parties in their homes, with guests paying up to $200 for silicone injections. Defense attorney Mark Bennett had urged the judge to sentence Camarena to five years, the minimum allowed by law. "This was an accident," he said. Camarena said she was unaware of the health risks and injected silicone into her own chest. (AP)