The 2012 Murder of Durokuali Okuirak concerns the November 2012 murder of 20 year old Durokuali Okuirak, a transgender woman by a group of four men on November 15, 2012 in Gsaal Raiyas, Narsora.

Background

Durokuali Okuirak was a 20 year old transgender woman from Gsaal Raiyas, Narsora. Originally born Deraas Jarai Okuirak and male, she underwent gender reassignment surgery in late 2011. Although considered a taboo subject in all Indigenous cultures, her immediate family was supportive of her decision, although she reported harassment from peers and strangers to her relatives and police, although as there was no federal anti-discrimination law in place at the time, police could do little.

Murder

On November 15, 2012 Okuirak was attending a party ner her university campus UN-V (University of Narsora - Verräcu), when she was approached by a group of four men; 21-year old Seliraic Behlu, 20-year old Míher Curik, 20-year old Igo Suaíc and 18-year old Aarón Cardenás. The 21-year old; Seliraic Behlu began according to witnesses as simply flirting with her, they all eventually agreed to go to a bar in downtown Gsaal Raiyas - about 5 miles away, where after drinking several drinks Okuirak agreed to go with the group to his home. After attempting to convince her to have intercourse with him, Behlu discovered Okuirak was biologically male and became enraged, proceeding to viciously beat her for a several minutes. At some point she attempted to flee out of the front of the house but was dragged back in by the men, who (however many was never determined) began inflicting various types of injuries on her in what the medical examiner would later describe as "Tantamount to torture" over a period of at least two hours. They then suffocated her and drove her to Gelegomo Park and disposed of her body under a tree, then left the scene. Okuirak's body was discovered by a couple whom were jogging that morning and police were called to the scene.

Aftermath

A medical examiner later stated that the injuries he observed on Okuirak's body were "The worst he'd ever seen on a murder victim." She was found to have over 120 injuries, the extent of which were not made public. The day after the murder Behlu posted a threatening message to one of his social media accounts with a derogatory caption and threats to LGBTQ people in general and a cryptic allusion to "doing things to (kuavk's)" - people of the LGBTQ community. One day later on the 16th, he posted the link to an online news article about the murder. This along with statements from witnesses placing the group as the last people to see Okuirak alive led police to obtaining a search warrant for Seliraic Behlu's home in Gsaal Raiyas. Three of the four men were at the address save for the 18-year old perpetrator Aarón Cardenás. When officers announced themselves Behlu attempted to flee through a back door and over an iron fence but was intercepted and tackled to the ground by other officers, the other two men did not attempt to resist arrest. Cardenás was located and arrested by police two hours later in the Tluakiév neighborhood of the city; he also did not attempt to resist arrest.

Investigation

During the search of the residence investigators found a hammer, section of pipe, a container of an unknown acid and length of rope. All of these items were later found via DNA testing to have been used in the crime, also found were large pools of blood in a bedroom and a trail of blood leading out of the front of the house. Perhaps the most damming pieces of evidence were traces of Okuirak's blood on clothing two of the perpetrators were wearing at the time of the murder and most disturbingly of all, a video and photo seemingly taken during the time of torture by 20-year old Míher Curik and showing several of the injuries being inflicted on the woman. Two of the four men eventually admitted to taking part in the murder with Behlu (whom was considered the ringleader of the ordeal) stating he committed the crime because he harbored a deep hatred for the LGBTQ community which he felt "had no place in Tomucúlan culture" and would ruin the country.

Trial

The trial began on March 8, 2013 and was broadcast nationally as the case became the forefront of news headlines and lasted two weeks. Defense attorneys argued that Behlu was "mentally unfit" to stand trial, being diagnosed with Sadistic Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder and Paranoid schizophrenia after a mandatory psychiatric evaluation. Indeed, Behlu was observed behaving erratically in courtroom numerous times, requiring him to be removed on three occasions; including in one instance after he began slamming his head into the desk he was seated at. Nevertheless, the presiding judge convicted Behlu guilty of Aggravated Homicide (equal to 1st Degree Murder in some places), Aggravated Sexual Assault, 1st Degree Assault and 3 counts of Assault with a deadly weapon. Two of the other three men were found guilty to all of the same counts minus Aggravated Sexual Assault and the youngest defendant 18-year old Aarón Cardenás was convicted of being an accessory to a murder. Three of the four; 21-year old Seliraic Behlu, 20-year old Míher Curik and 20-year old Igo Suaíc were given death sentences by Lethal Injection to be carried out consecutively, while 18-year old Aarón Cardenás was sentenced to 5 years in prison with parole. Presiding judge Rafael Parra, is quoted on March 22, 2013 as saying after handing the sentences; "Usted cuatro no son hombres que son animales, por lo tanto, ninguno de ustedes jamás será permitido a pie en la sociedad"". ("You four are not men you are animals, therefore none of you will ever be allowed to step foot in society again"). Seliraic Behlu was executed on August 5, 2013 and the third and last perpetrator; Igo Suaíc was executed on February 17, 2014.

Legacy

The crime is considered by many to be one of, if not the most, brutal crimes ever committed in the young nations history and garnered a permanent support for the LGBT movement. Most notably the creation of the country's first federal Anti-Discrimination law (officially known as the Durokuali Okuirak Act) that was passed in November 2014 in one the first acts by then newly elected president Sandalio Joaquín Espina. The law provides protections for members of the LGBTQ community from workplace discrimination, housing discrimination, occupational discrimination, harassment in all settings and officially labels any violence towards peoples of any religion, ethnicity, race, gender or sexual orientation as a hate crime. Since then, a total of 11 people have been convicted under the act of various crimes.