Alina Marie Barragan
Age 1919 Jan 2000
San Jose, California (USA)
Strangled
TDoR list ref: tdor.info/19 Jan 2000/Alina Marie Barragan
Alina was strangled by Kozi Santino Scott after an intimate encounter. She was found in the trunk of Scott's car by police after they were alerted by a friend of the accused.
SAN JOSE MURDER VICTIM IDENTIFIED
[San Jose, CA: 1 Feb 00] The body of transgender woman, Alina, found in the trunk of a car on 19 Jan 00, is that of 19-year-old [deadname], known as Alina Marie Barragan. Kozi Santino Scott, 21, in whose car trunk Alina was found, was arrested and is being held at the Santa Clara County Jail.
The San Jose Mercury News reports that Scott met Alina at a bar on 18 Jan and invited her home with him. Scott subsequently told a friend about the killing. The friend called police and alerted them to look in the trunk, where Alina's body was wrapped in sheets and a blanket.
The Attorney General's office is investigating whether to classify the killing as a hate crime, which could lengthen any sentence given to Scott should he be found guilty.
A spokesman for the victim's family stated that Alina lived openly as a woman and was accepted by her family. Teenage girls in the neighborhood accepted her as one of their own. Jean Giguere, a former neighbor who knew Alina as a child, said it was evident that she felt most comfortable around girls. "[She] was a girl living in a boy's body," she said.
Alina was well known at the Billy DeFrank Lesbian and Gay Community Center where she worked as a volunteer. The Center has established a fund for assisting Alina's family with funeral expenses.
http://www.qrd.org/qrd/trans/san.jose.murder.victim.identified-02.01.00
