SYRACUSE, N.Y. – A jury is deliberating at the trial of a 20-year-old upstate New York man charged with the hate crime slaying of a transgendered woman.
Prosecutors say Dwight DeLee fatally shot 22-year-old Lateisha Green outside a Syracuse house party last November because of anti-gay bias.
Three days of testimony wrapped up Wednesday. Lawyers delivered closing arguments Thursday and the case went to the jury.
If convicted of a hate crime, DeLee would face additional prison time. The judge told jurors they can also consider second-degree murder without the hate crime element, as well as a lesser charge of manslaughter.
If DeLee is convicted, it would be only the second hate crime conviction involving the murder of a transgendered person in the U.S.
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