By Nancy Nangeroni
Judge Robert Barton today imposed the maximum sentence under the law on William Palmer, who was found non-guilty of murder and convicted only of assault and battery in the death of Chanelle Pickett on November 20, 1995. Mr. Palmer had admitted to taking Ms. Pickett home and assaulting her there.
The judge sentenced Palmer to 2 years incarceration (2 1/2 years with 6 months suspended) and 5 years probation. In delivering the sentence, Judge Barton commented to the defendant "Mr. Palmer should kiss the ground the defense counsel walks on." Judge Barton also cited the gruesome pictures of the victim which, by his own ruling, the jury did not see, leading some observers to speculate that the judge had made an error in not allowing the jury to see the photographs.
Gabrielle Pickett, the victim's twin sister and also a transsexual, gave moving testimony to the judge, saying "it's hell being transsexual", and "Chanelle wasn't just a sister, she was my best friend. We grew up together, took hormones together, transitioned together..."
Outside the courthouse, Gabrielle declared to reporters, "This isn't the end of it. I will continue to work to end violence against transgender people." She later told reporters outside the courtroom "There was some satisfaction in the sentence, but it doesn't make up for the fact that the verdict was only assault and battery." Gender activist Nancy Nangeroni told the reporters gathered outside the courtroom, "The judge, by this sentence, has made an unmistakable statement about the injustice of the verdict." William Palmer successfully avoided contact with the press.
Prior to the sentencing, about 45 demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse and handed out leaflets that read "Jury Upholds Death Penalty for Transexualism" and carrying signs with pictures of Chanelle and saying "Justice: A Rich White Man's Game" and "End Violence Against Transgenders". The judge requested a copy of the flyer by courier, and was accommodated by activists.
At a brief news conference, a letter from US Congressman Barney Frank to Attorney General Janet Reno decrying violence against the differently- gendered was read to reporters. The letter had been signed as part of GenderPAC's efforts to rally support on Capitol Hill last week against gender-based violence. The letter calls for an investigation into such violence, stating that transgender people are "victims of very severe prejudice in much of our society."
Alison Laing, Ex. Dir. of the International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE), told reporters, "The verdict in this case was a blot of shame on the mantle of justice. Unless the maximum sentence is given, we will devalue the lives of people of difference everywhere."