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Man stabbed woman he met on dating site 119 times after she told him she was transgender | Man stabbed woman he met on dating site 119 times after she told him she was transgender |
(about 3 hours later) | |
A former sailor in the US Navy stabbed a woman 119 times when she revealed she was transgender after they had sex, a court heard. | A former sailor in the US Navy stabbed a woman 119 times when she revealed she was transgender after they had sex, a court heard. |
Dwanya Hickerson, 21, "lost it" after learning Dee Whigham, 25, had been born a man. | Dwanya Hickerson, 21, "lost it" after learning Dee Whigham, 25, had been born a man. |
Mississippi's Jacksonville Circuit Court heard that he knifed Ms Whigham multiple times in the face and slashed her throat in a hotel room before showering and leaving her for dead. | |
The pair had been chatting online for two months after making contact through a dating site. | The pair had been chatting online for two months after making contact through a dating site. |
They decided to meet for the first time when Ms Whigham was visiting the city of Biloxi, where Hickerson lived, on July 23 last year. | They decided to meet for the first time when Ms Whigham was visiting the city of Biloxi, where Hickerson lived, on July 23 last year. |
The hospital nurse picked him up at the gates of Keesler Air Force Base, where he was training to be a weather forecaster, and drove them to her hotel, the court heard. | |
CCTV footage showed them walking into her room together at Best Western at about 8.30pm. Hickerson was seen leaving 23 minutes later with his shirt around his neck. | CCTV footage showed them walking into her room together at Best Western at about 8.30pm. Hickerson was seen leaving 23 minutes later with his shirt around his neck. |
Ms Whigham's body was found at about 9.45pm by her friends. | Ms Whigham's body was found at about 9.45pm by her friends. |
An Air Force instructor later recognised Hickerson in a police appeal over the killing and reported him to detectives, according to the WLOX news channel. | An Air Force instructor later recognised Hickerson in a police appeal over the killing and reported him to detectives, according to the WLOX news channel. |
Hickerson later told police he and Ms Whigham had sex at the hotel she told him she was transgender. | Hickerson later told police he and Ms Whigham had sex at the hotel she told him she was transgender. |
"I lost it, I lost it," he said, adding he did not remember much afterwards. | "I lost it, I lost it," he said, adding he did not remember much afterwards. |
He was jailed for 40 years without parole after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. He will also have to serve 15 years for a robbery charge after taking Whigham's purse and mobile phone. | He was jailed for 40 years without parole after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. He will also have to serve 15 years for a robbery charge after taking Whigham's purse and mobile phone. |
Hickerson could have faced the death penalty if he had been convicted of capital murder. | Hickerson could have faced the death penalty if he had been convicted of capital murder. |
Ms Whigham's mother, Vickie Blackney Whigham, criticised Hickerson's sentence. | Ms Whigham's mother, Vickie Blackney Whigham, criticised Hickerson's sentence. |
"I think the plea is a slap in the face," she said. "He gets a chance to see his family and I don't have that chance with my child." | "I think the plea is a slap in the face," she said. "He gets a chance to see his family and I don't have that chance with my child." |