this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2026
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A Tennessee court has overturned the conviction of a man who killed a Black transgender woman, ruling that a lower court “erred” by preventing the killer from using the victim’s trans identity in his defense.

Samuel Ward Jr. shot Paris Lee six times outside her Memphis home in June 2022, according to the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office. He then drove 30 minutes home, leaving her to die. Ward was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in May 2025.

But the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals in Jackson overturned that conviction on Monday and ordered a retrial. The trial court’s judge had disallowed the defense from presenting the victim’s identity as a transgender woman in its arguments.

“The trial court erred by excluding evidence of the victim’s assigned sex at birth, [and] the evidence was insufficient to support [Ward’s] conviction,” reads the Monday appellate court decision. “Because we conclude that the trial court erred… we reverse and remand this case for a new trial.”

The defense had argued it would be more reasonable for Ward to fear Lee if jurors knew she was assigned male at birth, and said jurors would be more prejudiced against Ward for killing a cisgender woman, according to Jamie Satterfield, an independent journalist who first reported the ruling.

The gay panic defenses has not gone away. Also, this rings of saying its not murder because transgender people aren't people.

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[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 0 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

Person brought a gun outside of their property. Premeditated murder. Done. I've owned guns for 19 years. If I bring a gun off my property it was premeditated. If I shoot someone it was intentional.

Whether or not I was passionate about pulling the trigger or not, it was thought about ahead of time and deliberate.

Anyone who has shot guns should know it isn't a hiccup to pull out a gun, ensure it is cocked, safety off, aim and hit a target... Let alone 6 times. This person deliberately and intentionally used a deadly weapon to assault someone.

[–] KairuByte@lemmy.ca 3 points 12 hours ago

Person brought a gun outside of their property. Premeditated murder. Done.

I get your point, and IANAL, but this is just not the case in the US, and it is unconstitutional for a government to make that argument. For better or worse you have the right to carry a gun on your person off your property, and millions of Americans do it every day without intending murder.

The rest of your comment I agree with. Just don’t be muddying the water with a constitutionally protected act being somehow suspicious or against the law.

[–] someone@lemmy.today 0 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

That's you. Some people keep guns with them at all times for safety or because they just like guns. If you read the actual ruling, you'll see Defendant didn't even get a chance to testify honestly from their perspective when they were trying to put on a self-defense theory. That's actually unfair, even if you like trans women and support trans women.

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 2 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

They brought a gun to someone elses house, got in a argument pulled a gun shot them at their own house 6 times and lied in court about how it happened.

"According to testimony, Ward went to Lee’s home, where a verbal altercation occurred. The victim, Paris Lee, asked Ward to leave. During the confrontation, Ward claimed that Lee pointed a gun at him while they were at the top of a staircase, causing him to fall backward. He told police that he then drew his own weapon and fired upward from the bottom of the stairs, striking Lee.

However, physical evidence and expert testimony from Medical Examiner Dr. D. Van Pelt contradicted Ward’s version of events. Lee was shot six times, and the trajectories of the gunshot wounds did not align with the defendant’s statement. Additionally, Ward had no visible injuries, undermining his claim of self-defense.

The prosecution presented a key witness, Tarik Hunter, Lee’s best friend, who testified about a phone call with Lee during the incident. Hunter told the jury he could hear Ward yelling in the background and that Lee repeatedly asked him to leave."

[–] someone@lemmy.today 1 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

So let the defendant present their defense and then if that's what happened, the jury will see it and convict.

Also, I am just realizing now defendant was never even charged with murder. That's surprising. I would have thought he would have at least been charged with that so the jury could weight it.

He got 6 years for shooting a person 6 times to death in their own home.... In a state with the death penalty. While having a witness that heard them ask the person to leave.

This person got given the best case scenario it sounds like, and is asking for better. If possible they should retry it as first degree murder and the death penalty, the perpetrator would likely settle for 15 years very quickly