The Murder of Transgender Teen Mercedes Williamson

She died in a brutal hate crime and her ex-boyfriend was the killer

Michael Christopher Wilkins was born on September 10, 1997, in Gulf Shores, Alabama. At the age of 14, he transitioned from male to female and changed his name to Mercedes Williamson.

Williamson was a happy teenager. She had dreams of becoming a cosmetologist and she enjoyed spending time outdoors. However, at some point, she became estranged from her parents, dropped out of high school, and moved alone from Gulf Shores to the town of Theodore. During this time, she dated Josh Brandon Vallum, age 28.

On May 30, 2015, Williamson was found murdered by Vallum. She was beaten and stabbed. She was only 17 years old when she died.

Why did Vallum murder Williamson and did it have anything to do with the fact that she was transgender?

The murder

Vallum and Williamson had an affectionate and open relationship. They dated for eight months before breaking up.

On the day of the murder, Vallum picked up Williamson from Dauphin Island, Alabama. Even though they had broken up for some months, he told her that he was taking her somewhere private just to have sex.

Vallum drove from Alabama into Mississippi. It was then that Williamson became suspicious and asked him where he was taking her.

Vallum drove to his father’s property in Mississippi which was an isolated wooded area. He got out of the car and as Williamson got out of the passenger seat, he went over to her, shocked her with a stun gun, and then started stabbing her with a knife. Williamson tried to run away from him but he caught her and continued to stab her. He dealt the final blow by using a hammer to beat Williamson to death.

Right after Vallum murdered Williamson, he burned his clothes and threw away the stun gun, knife, and hammer over a bridge.

A day after the murder, he told his family that he killed someone and buried the body on his father’s property. When his brother asked him what happened, he replied “Well, it was my life or his.”

Authorities believe Vallum killed Williamson because he was a member of the Latin Kings gang which was against homosexuality. Vallum was afraid that the gang would target him if it was known that he was dating a transgender person.

The Latin Kings gang is a Hispanic and Latino street gang that was first founded in Chicago in 1954. The gang is considered a criminal enterprise involved in drugs, weapons trafficking, murders, armed robberies, and other crimes. One of the strict bylaws of the gang is that homosexuality is forbidden.

According to witnesses, Vallum’s gang name was “King Chaos.”

The investigation and arrest

Vallum was arrested after his family called the authorities upon finding out that he had killed someone.

Vallum admitted his guilt to the authorities that he had murdered Williamson. However, his story about why he committed the murder did not align with witness statements.

Vallum claimed that he did not know Williamson was transgender. He stated that while he was kissing her on the day of the murder, he reached down between her legs to find out that she had a penis and he became shocked. He stated that he blacked out and all he could remember next was that he pulled out a knife, stabbed her, and then started chasing Williamson before killing her with a hammer.

I kept thinking to myself she’s still breathing and I grabbed a hammer and chased her through the woods and I hit her in the head with it, probably about three times, and that was it. I can’t believe that for two months I was kissing a man.

Vallum was reticent to talk to the authorities about his gang affiliation. He may have been protecting his involvement with the gang. The authorities also believe that Vallum was trying to save face to prove to his gang members that he was not homosexual.

On the other hand, witnesses claim that Vallum was very much aware that Williamson was transgender during the time that he was dating her and before her murder. Vallum himself may have been homosexual because authorities found gay pornography on his computer.

Conclusion

On July 12, 2016, Vallum pleaded guilty to the charge of first-degree murder in the death of Williamson. He was sentenced to 49 years in prison by a federal court.

Williamson’s case became groundbreaking because Vallum was the first person to have been successfully prosecuted for a transgender hate crime under the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The federal act was first introduced by former President Barack Obama in 2009.

In addition, celebrity and LGBTQ advocate Caitlyn Jenner brought national attention to Williamson’s case when she mentioned her name in a speech at the ESPY awards.

Sources: Find a Grave, AL.com, The Guardian, BBC, Daily Mail

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