Murder of Amanda Milan

Overview

Amanda Milan, a 25-year-old transgender woman, was killed in the early morning hours of June 20, 2000, near the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City. She was leaving a group of friends to catch a cab when she was harassed by 20-year-old Dwayne McCuller. Witnesses reported that Milan confronted McCuller after he made lewd comments, telling him "I'm a man too, you want to fight?" McCuller reportedly declined the challenge and walked away, though police reports allege he had threatened to shoot and punch her before the two disengaged.

The Attack

According to prosecutors, as Milan walked away, 26-year-old Eugene Celestine told McCuller that he had a knife, which McCuller then took and used to fatally stab Milan once in the neck. A passerby attempted to stop the bleeding using her shirt. Police arrived at 4:20 a.m. and rushed Milan to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 4:50 a.m. A third man, later identified as David Anderson, allegedly aided McCuller by letting him hide in his Brooklyn apartment following the killing.

Community Response

The murder occurred just days before the annual LGBT pride parade and provoked significant outrage within the transgender community. Transgender activist Sylvia Rivera worked to ensure Milan's death was investigated and organized a political funeral along with other demonstrations highlighting what activists described as a disconnect between transgender rights and the broader LGBT movement. Rivera subsequently reformed the transgender activist group Street Trans Activist Revolutionaries (STAR) in response to the killing, and cited the case among reasons to advocate for a broad definition of gender within the New York City Human Rights Law.

A memorial service was held at Metropolitan Community Church, where activists including Octavia St. Laurent spoke. Long-time trans activist Melissa Schlarz noted that while she had read about trans women being murdered in Times Square since the mid-1970s, the Milan case was notable because, for the first time, there was a significant public response. Commentators, including author Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, have described Milan's death as symbolizing unfinished work within the LGBT movement regarding transgender inclusion.

Legal Outcome

McCuller was indicted for second-degree murder. He subsequently pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seventeen and a half years to life in prison. Anderson was indicted for first-degree hindering prosecution. Celestine was indicted on one count each of criminally negligent homicide, fourth-degree criminal facilitation, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.