COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal hate crime trial begins in Richland County on Tuesday in the death of a transgender woman who was murdered in Allendale County. LaDime Doe was shot to death in a car off Highway 278 in Allendale in August 2019.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s website, two men were charged in connection to this case: Daqua Ritter and Xavier Pinckney. The indictment said Ritter shot Doe on August 4, 2019, because of her quote “actual and perceived gender identity.”
Ritter is facing hate crime charges for murdering Doe because she was a trans-woman. In addition to murder, Ritter is facing obstruction of justice charges for lying about his whereabouts on August 4th.
In October last year, Xavier Pinckney pled guilty to obstruction of justice. The US Attorney’s website says he provided false and misleading information to state investigators.
Pinckney admitted to concealing the use of his phone to text and call Doe the day of the murder while also lying about seeing Ritter that day. He faces 20 years in prison, which is the maximum for obstruction.
Daqua Ritter is on trial for a federal hate crime among other charges including attempted kidnapping. He faces life in prison if he is found guilty of a hate crime.
South Carolina does not have a hate crime law, but there is a bill that was introduced in by a State House Representative that was stalled in the GOP-controlled State Senate. The proposed state law would add five years to a prison sentence if someone was convicted of a violent hate crime.
The trial starts Tuesday at 9 am at the federal courthouse in Columbia.