At sentencing for murder of transgender woman, state leaders call for end to ‘hateful rhetoric’

There were many labels that fit Savannah Williams. She was a magnet and a beacon of warmth who could draw anyone in, her mother said. She was the “center spoke” of her family and community, said the prosecutor.

She was also a transgender woman of color, shot point-blank in the head and left to die in a Minneapolis courtyard last November. Her killing led to questions over what constitutes a hate crime in Hennepin County.

On Wednesday, Damarean Bible was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder. In victim impact statements read inside Hennepin County District Court, the people who loved Williams painted an encompassing picture of her life. Afterward county and state officials said hateful rhetoric against transgender people, including by former President Donald Trump, is robbing them of their safety and leading to these crimes.

Savannah’s mother, Kim Stillday, said her daughter was her best friend, a daily presence who would give gifts out of the blue and light up any room she walked into. “Savannah still lives on,” she said, and began to sob. “Her memory makes us laugh and smile.”

Savannah’s sister, Gabrielle Stillday, said Williams was the pillar of the family, a beautiful soul and the best aunt you could ask for. “She was everything to me and my children. And we are devastated without her.”

Savannah’s partner, Courtney Mason, said when he got the call she had been murdered, his heart dropped out of his chest. All he could do was cry and question how someone could kill such a kindhearted person. “Your Honor,” he said to Judge Juan Hoyos, “I know you are not God, but God gave you the power to put Bible away for a long time.”

Hoyos did, giving Bible the maximum sentence for second-degree murder. Minnesota’s sentencing guidelines stipulate that, with good behavior, Bible could be out in 20 years.

Bible never denied killing Williams. What exactly happened between them on a cold November morning last year remained murky throughout his arrest and trial because his story kept changing. The two had met at a bus stop and surveillance video showed him walking into a courtyard near Lake Street with Williams. Only Bible walked out. Williams was found with a single gunshot wound; she had been shot at close range.

At one point Bible said Williams tried to rob him of his watch. At another point he said she reached for his gun while they were having sex. At the end of his trial he brought up a new defense that she had held him at knife point.

None of it resonated as the jury found him guilty, but Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said that lack of clarity around motive made it hard for the state to file bias charges in the murder case, which could have added to Bible’s sentence.

“We did not have the evidence to meet that standard of proof,” Moriarty said. “But the fact that we could not charge this as a bias crime does not change the impact that this crime has had on making our trans community feel less safe.”

Before sentencing, Bible met with Gina Kubits, a probation officer for Hennepin County, and finally gave a motivation for the murder. Bible told Kubits that after having sex with Williams he “saw her face and was startled.” Bible realized she was transgender and felt he had been tricked, so he killed her.

Assistant County Attorney James Hanneman, his voice catching, told Hoyos, “This was a cold-blooded, brazen killing.” He noted that right before she was shot in the head, Williams had been helping Bible to clean up. As he said this, wails came from the gallery where friends and family members of Williams gathered in shirts honoring her.

Bible also told Kubits at that pre-sentencing evaluation that he was hearing voices in his head. That was startling enough that it raised the possibility Bible could argue ineffective assistance of counsel on appeal, since mental incompetency was never used as a defense during the trial. Bible’s attorney, Drake Metzger, said Wednesday he had “no competency concerns” at any point while representing Bible.

Whether Bible will appeal remains to be seen, but after being sentenced he stood and addressed the court. “I completely apologize for killing Savannah Williams,” Bible said. He told Hoyos he had a friend die from a “head shot” when he was younger, so he knows how much pain he created with his crime. “I’m sorry to Kim Stillday,” Bible added. “I would never want to put my mother through this situation.”

After Bible was taken back into custody, Moriarty gathered with Williams’ family and several city and state leaders on transgender rights for a press conference.

Moriarty laid out statistics showing that, since 2013, at least 286 transgender women have been killed across the United States, and 85% of them were women of color, like Williams. Moriarty said hateful rhetoric “spreading like wildfire across this country” creates an environment where those crimes flourish.

Leigh Finke, Minnesota’s first transgender state representative and the chair of the Minnesota Queer Legislative Caucus, said whether Bible was convicted of a hate crime doesn’t change the truth of the matter.

“If Savannah Williams was not trans, she would still be alive today,” Finke said. “What we know is true is our trans people of color in the state of Minnesota, in the city of Minneapolis and across the country are pushed to the edges of our society.”

Finke pointed to Tuesday’s presidential debate, saying harmful rhetoric against trans people has exploded in the national discourse.

“It is perpetuated by language, some of which we heard last night, built on lies and intended to lead to the outcomes that we are here today to mourn,” Finke said.

At the debate, former President Trump said Vice President Harris, “wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison.” Harris had previously said transgender people who rely on the state for care should have access to gender transition treatment, including federal detainees.

That came three days after Trump told supporters at a rally in Wisconsin that elementary schools are having children undergo gender transitions at school.

“Can you imagine you’re a parent and your son leaves the house and you say, ‘Jimmy, I love you so much, go have a good day in school,’ and your son comes back with a brutal operation?” Trump asked. “Can you even imagine this? What the hell is wrong with our country?”

There is no evidence that happened and a 2022 study from the Williams Institute at UCLA estimated that 1.6 million Americans over the age of 13 identify as transgender, 0.6% of the total population and a number that has “remained steady over time.”