NEW YORK — One year since the murder Islan Nettles, a group of advocates and supporters gathered at the site where the transgender woman was beaten to death in a bid to keep the case in the public eye.
In the year since Nettles was killed during an encounter with a group of men on Aug. 17, 2013, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office dropped all charges against the lone suspect in November because witnesses identified two different suspects. No one else has been charged in the time since, and prosecutors say that new witnesses are likely the only thing to move the case ahead.
A spokeswoman for the Manhattan D.A.’s office declined comment citing an ongoing investigation. The office has noted in court that there is no statute of limitations for murder charges.
“I don’t want this to die down and have people forget. The past year has been difficult for me and my family,” said Nettles’s mother, Delores Nettles.
Nettles, 21, died August 22, 2013, five days afther she was attacked while walking with two friends across the street from a NYPD housing bureau precinct. They encountered a group of men, who became enraged once they discovered that Nettles was transgender, according to prosecutors.
Nettles was repeatedly punched in the face while slurs were hurled at her during the early morning attack.
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