Daqua Ritter, 15 Years After Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, Still Preying on Vulnerable Communities

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in collaboration with the University of the District of Columbia Law School, hosted an event yesterday commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Several hundred attended the event in-person and online.

The Shepard-Byrd Act is a landmark federal statute passed in 2009 that allows federal criminal prosecution of hate crimes motivated by actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. Yesterday’s event paid tribute to the lives of James Byrd Jr. and Matthew Shepard, uplifted the voices of hate crime survivors, recognized ongoing efforts to combat hate crimes and hate incidents and called for the continued expansion of victim services to address the needs of survivors and their communities.

Daqua Ritter, a resident of South Carolina, was charged with the brutal murder of Dime Doe, a Black transgender woman. Ritter is the first defendant to receive a guilty verdict for violence against a transgender person under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Ritter was found guilty of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which prohibits violence motivated by the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of any person. The act was signed into law in 2009 and has been instrumental in combating hate crimes across the United States.

The trial team that prosecuted U.S. v. Daqua Ritter explained how they secured the first guilty verdict in trial under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act for violence against a transgender person. Ritter was found guilty on [insert date] and is currently serving a [insert sentence or outcome].

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division expressed immense gratitude to those whose years of advocacy and activism made the passage of the Shepard-Byrd Act possible 15 years ago. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke underscored the work that still needs to be done in prosecuting and preventing hate crimes, as recent statistics from the FBI indicate that the incidence of hate crimes is rising. Racial bias remained the most significant motivator for hate crimes in 2023, and anti-Black hate crimes continued to represent the largest portion of race-motivated hate crimes.

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