The family of a U.S. Air Force veteran who was murdered in May has identified her as transgender, making her the at least 49th transgender person to be killed violently in the United States this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
65-year-old Cris Blehar was found stabbed and shot to death in her Kentucky home. An 18-year-old suspect, Tyler J. Petty, who police say may have worked for Blehar, has reportedly confessed to the murder and will go to trial in June 2022.
Related: Trans man beaten with a chain in broad daylight in terrifying hate crime
Blehar’s obituary describes her as an animal lover who formerly worked for Continental Airlines and then as an Uber Driver. She left behind a son, Maverick Thompson.
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Blehar’s cousin, Mark Stephens, contacted HRC to identify her as trans. Stephens wanted Blehar to be “remembered, honored, and counted.”
“If there is one thing to know about Cris, it was that she fought fiercely to define her life as SHE wanted,” Stephens said. “Whether it was her military service, her 20+ year career in the airline industry, or her post retirement decision to buy a farm & start a family of her own. She lived life to the fullest and wanted everyone around her to live their best life as well.”
Stephens also praised Blehar’s bravery in living as her true self.
“Growing up ‘different’ in Kentucky is certainly no easy task, something we shared in addition to being cousins, and she tackled it with the passion and zeal that only she could have. Her friends will always remember her infectious personality & her unmistakable laugh. She loved others passionately and fiercely, none more than her own son, Maverick.”
Maverick also sent a statement to HRC, writing that “Cris was an amazing mother and a wonderful person. She had so much love and brought a smile to many. She had a hilarious sense of humor that will live on through those that knew her. She will be sorely missed!”
2021 has been the deadliest year on record for trans Americans, with at least 49 fatalities of trans and non-binary victims.
