Lucas RedBeard Knapp ("Luca")
Age 3918 Apr 2026
Candy Kitchen, New Mexico (USA)
Shot
Lucas was shot after stepping in to defend a man from a neighbour.
A New Mexico based nonbinary transmasculine person was shot to death by neighbors in a rural unincorporated area known as Candy Kitchen in Cibola County. He was 39. His name was Lucas RedBeard or Lucas Knapp. He also went by Luca.
On Saturday, April 18, 2026, Lucas was walking his dogs when he heard a neighbor berating a third man. Luca stepped in to defend the third man. That’s when David Thomas Byington shot Luca in the chest. Byington and his wife fled. One witness ran to get help, struggling to find a cell phone signal. A second witness reportedly kept watch over Lucas’ body until the Sheriff arrived an hour later.
Byington and his wife were eventually arrested. He is facing charges of second degree homicide, shooting at or from a vehicle, possession of a firearm by a felon, and tampering with evidence – all felony charges. He’s being held until a hearing. Tania Byington was originally charged with second degree murder and tampering with evidence, the murder charges were dropped and she was released on her own recognizance.
According to friends, there has been a history of bigotry by this couple. The third person they were original accosting apparently is squatting with permission and they didn’t like it. I understand this squatting property was not adjacent to theirs.
It speaks volumes that the mere presence of the people these murderers originally confronted, their existence was a problem they needed to address with a gun. Their umbrage over someone they found undesirable making a home is a slippery slope down to disregard for the life of trans and queer people.
When society deems people unwanted or devalued, it is not shocking that private white cisgender citizens felt entitled to use a gun to enforce their vision of the community.
Lucas was originally from New Jersey and the founder of Misfit Kitchen Gardens and described themselves as a "Queer ND enby transmasc who loves farming (KNF anyone?), watershed restoration work, fermentation, cooking (and eating!) good food, music, hiking, archery, animals, foraging, building, writing and smokin bomb herb."
Lucas was born in New Jersey. He lived in Florida, Oregon, and Boston before settling in Candy Kitchen, New Mexico. He went to Seminole High School and studied at Emerson College. He identified as a Chef, Fermenter, Natural Farmer/Builder, and Educator. At the time of his death, he lived in West Central NM, on Zuni, Diné and Pueblos Territories. According to friends he acquired land there around 2019 after he spent time at the Zuni Mountain Sanctuary with the Radical Faeries.
He founded Misfit Kitchen Gardens. an educational, high-desert farm in West Central New Mexico with a focus on landback support, food sovereignty, and sustainable practices. According to his social media, he had worked for an array of local food oriented companies, spent time learning about native plants, was deeply involved in ecological projects, and committed to the vision. Lucas described it as collective liberation thru food.
Luca's Instagram and Threads accounts are https://www.instagram.com/misfitkitchengardens and https://www.threads.com/@misfitkitchengardens.
https://www.them.us/story/lucas-redbeard-knapp-killing-new-mexico
https://www.threads.com/@pluckythepuck/post/DXmcBgwkpqJ
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DTQvc1lkrB0/
