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Friends reject police's take on transgender woman's death
  
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By BRANDON JOHANSSON
The Aurora Sentinel
AURORA | A week after Aimee Wilcoxson was found dead in her north Aurora home, her friends say they still have questions about the transgender woman’s death.
“None of it makes sense to us,” said Imani Latif, executive director of It Takes A Village, the nonprofit organization where Wilcoxson worked.
More than 30 friends of Wilcoxson gathered Wednesday night near It Takes a Village at East Colfax Avenue and Lima Street to remember the woman who they say loved to laugh, loved Madonna and who advocated for other transgender women who, like her, had been diagnosed with HIV.
Wilcoxson, 34, had been living as a woman for more than 10 years, friends say.
Police found Wilcoxson dead in her home in the 1600 block of Lima Street on Nov. 3.
Police aren’t releasing many details about the case, but said investigators believe Wilcoxson took her own life.
“Detectives feel that all the evidence in the case points to a suicide,” said Aurora police spokesman Detective Bob Friel.
Friel said police are waiting for a toxicology exam from the Adams County Coroner’s office, which could take up to six weeks to complete.
The coroner’s office has ruled the cause of death “undetermined” and is waiting on toxicology results, said Adams County Coroner Jim Hibbard.
But Wilcoxson’s friends say she was a happy person with a lot to look forward to and wouldn’t have killed herself. They say she was murdered.
“We think there was foul play,” Latif said.
Latif said one of Wilcoxson’s neighbors found her dead in her bed Nov. 3. The neighbor said there was broken furniture in the home and that there was blood on the mattress where Wilcoxson lay, Latif said.
Friel said police can’t comment specifically about those claims and reiterated that evidence in the case points to a suicide.
Latif said investigators told Wilcoxson’s friends that the blood was from Wilcoxson’s body decomposing and that she likely overdosed on pills.
But Latif argues that there wasn’t enough time for the body to decompose — friends spoke to her Sunday and her body was found Monday. And, she said, Wilcoxson had been followed home before and complained about “tweakers” hanging out around her home, Latif said.
Wilcoxson’s friends say they believe she was beaten to death, though they don’t know by who or why.
Hibbard, the Adams County coroner, said there were no obvious signs of trauma to Wilcoxson’s body and that if anyone knows more about her death, they need to contact police.
Latif said Wilcoxson also wasn’t the type to kill herself.
She said Wilcoxson was diagnosed with terminal cancer early this year and that one of the things that bothered her most was that she wouldn’t be alive to see Madonna play at the Pepsi Center this month.
When doctors told her she had been misdiagnosed, the Madonna concert was one of the things Wilcoxson was looking forward to most, Latif said.
“We know that if she was going to commit suicide, she wouldn’t have done it a week before the Madonna concert,” she said.
“None of it makes sense to us,” said Imani Latif, executive director of It Takes A Village, the nonprofit organization where Wilcoxson worked.
More than 30 friends of Wilcoxson gathered Wednesday night near It Takes a Village at East Colfax Avenue and Lima Street to remember the woman who they say loved to laugh, loved Madonna and who advocated for other transgender women who, like her, had been diagnosed with HIV.
Wilcoxson, 34, had been living as a woman for more than 10 years, friends say.
Police found Wilcoxson dead in her home in the 1600 block of Lima Street on Nov. 3.
Police aren’t releasing many details about the case, but said investigators believe Wilcoxson took her own life.
“Detectives feel that all the evidence in the case points to a suicide,” said Aurora police spokesman Detective Bob Friel.
Friel said police are waiting for a toxicology exam from the Adams County Coroner’s office, which could take up to six weeks to complete.
The coroner’s office has ruled the cause of death “undetermined” and is waiting on toxicology results, said Adams County Coroner Jim Hibbard.
But Wilcoxson’s friends say she was a happy person with a lot to look forward to and wouldn’t have killed herself. They say she was murdered.
“We think there was foul play,” Latif said.
Latif said one of Wilcoxson’s neighbors found her dead in her bed Nov. 3. The neighbor said there was broken furniture in the home and that there was blood on the mattress where Wilcoxson lay, Latif said.
Friel said police can’t comment specifically about those claims and reiterated that evidence in the case points to a suicide.
Latif said investigators told Wilcoxson’s friends that the blood was from Wilcoxson’s body decomposing and that she likely overdosed on pills.
But Latif argues that there wasn’t enough time for the body to decompose — friends spoke to her Sunday and her body was found Monday. And, she said, Wilcoxson had been followed home before and complained about “tweakers” hanging out around her home, Latif said.
Wilcoxson’s friends say they believe she was beaten to death, though they don’t know by who or why.
Hibbard, the Adams County coroner, said there were no obvious signs of trauma to Wilcoxson’s body and that if anyone knows more about her death, they need to contact police.
Latif said Wilcoxson also wasn’t the type to kill herself.
She said Wilcoxson was diagnosed with terminal cancer early this year and that one of the things that bothered her most was that she wouldn’t be alive to see Madonna play at the Pepsi Center this month.
When doctors told her she had been misdiagnosed, the Madonna concert was one of the things Wilcoxson was looking forward to most, Latif said.
“We know that if she was going to commit suicide, she wouldn’t have done it a week before the Madonna concert,” she said.
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Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of aurorasentinel.com.
Tranarchy wrote on Nov 13, 2008 9:24 PM:
" I am sad that ignorant hate is still out there. And this happens this close to Transgender Day of Remberance a day to remember those that have been killed from the ignorant fear of others. http://www.gender.org/remember/day/
I wish for her family and friends to carry on her memory for the fine person surly was.
I Know that I will be adding her name to the list of names at my universities TGDOR event.
Aimee Your memory shall be honored.
Binks "
I wish for her family and friends to carry on her memory for the fine person surly was.
I Know that I will be adding her name to the list of names at my universities TGDOR event.
Aimee Your memory shall be honored.
Binks "
Rachel Lee wrote on Nov 21, 2008 6:21 AM:
" I find this alarming that the police would dismiss this so early.Again another shocking reality that transgendered people are the #1 target for hate crimes.This is the second transgender fatality in Colorado in 2008.Why must we die this way?
My heart goes out to family and friends.
My Best "
My heart goes out to family and friends.
My Best "
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Starr wrote on Nov 13, 2008 1:12 PM: