Suspected killer arrested in transgendered teen’s murder

Last week, Thorton police arrested a suspect in the Angie Zapata murder case, according to news reports.

Zapata, a transgender teen living as a woman, was killed in July in her apartment in Greeley. Allen Ray Andrade told authorities that he went on a date with Zapata and bludgeoned her to death when he thought Zapata might actually be a man. Weld County District Attorney Kenneth Buck has filed hate crime charges against Andrade.

Andrade reportedly referred to Zapata as an "it," telling police that he believed he "killed it."

"It’s disgusting," Greeley Police Chief Jerry Garner told the Rocky Mountain News regarding Andrade’s reference to Zapata. "It’s a horrible thing to say."

Andrade’s remark follows several instances in which news agencies referred to Zapata as a "he" and insinuated that Zapata’s lifestyle "provoked" her murder.

Meanwhile, many blogs have memorialized Zapata, and a tribute page has been set up at Respectance.com. An August 9 vigil for Zapata will be held at the Garden Theater on the University of Northern Colorado campus in Greeley from 7-9 p.m.

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