2073
(2 votes, average 5.00 out of 5)
Written by Louis Weisberg, Staff writer
Dec 30, 2010
Andrew Olacirequi – Photo: Courtesy
A judge sentenced Andrew Olacirequi to 11 years in prison and seven years of extended supervision for the May 7 slaying of Dana (Chanel) Larkin, an African-American transgender woman who resided in Milwaukee.
Under terms of a plea bargain, Olacirequi pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless homicide while armed, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years behind bars and 10 of supervision. In pronouncing sentence on Dec. 20, Judge Kevin Martens said he considered the danger Olacirequi represents and the impact his crime had on Larkin’s family and the community.
Citing his client’s ongoing struggles with anxiety and depression, Olacirequi’s attorney asked for a sentence of six years behind bars. Olacirequi suffers from a form of alopecia that causes universal hair loss, which has contributed to ongoing struggles with self-esteem, according to defense attorney Michael Hart.
Hart said “ignorant people” have wrongly characterized Olacirequi as a “skinhead” and hate-crime perpetrator.
In a faltering voice punctuated with sobs, Olacirequi begged the forgiveness of Larkin’s family, his own family and the transgender community.
“I’m very aware of the mistakes I made,” he said, reading from a prepared statement. “From the bottom of my heart, I never intended anyone to be hurt. I’ll never forget that night and would do anything to take it back. … I can’t imagine the grief I’ve cause Dana and the transgender community. … I’ve always wanted to make my family proud and with this I’ve failed miserably. I know all the apologies in the world can’t bring Dana back.”
Olacirequi’s mother and sister wept as Olacirequi spoke. His father sat stonily between them.
Judge Martens rejected the plea for leniency, noting that Olacirequi acted “grossly out of proportion” when he fired three shots at Larkin after picking her up for sex and discovering she was transgendered.
The third shot proved fatal for Larkin, 26, an active member of Milwaukee’s transgender community and a former member of Diverse and Resilient’s group SHEBA (Sisters Helping Each other Battle AIDS).
A coroner determined the fatal shot was fired at close range, but Olacirequi denied it. Hart argued that the coroner’s report made it seem as though his client had executed Larkin, when in fact he had fired the gun randomly at a distance of as many as 25 yards away.
Martens said the distance was almost inconsequential in his sentencing. Instead, he said he was swayed primarily by the pattern of poor judgment exercised by Olacirequi in taking a loaded gun with him to look for a prostitute, as well as his 2006 conviction for threatening a driver with a concealed weapon during a traffic altercation.
Martens said Olacirequi posed a risk to the community at large due to his history of anger management problems.
Referencing the large number of letters submitted to the court by Milwaukee’s transgender community and a particularly moving letter from Larkin’s grandmother, Carla Clemmon, with whom Larkin lived, Martens also referred to the “strong community reaction” to the killing as a factor in his sentencing.
Community activists had asked prosecutors to look into designating the killing as a hate crime. Milwaukee prosecutors have never sought hate-crime charges in a crime involving an LGBT person.
“Larkin struggled in ways that were probably unfair,” Martens said. But, he added, the case was “fact-specific” rather than a hate crime that was motivated by Larkin’s gender identity.
In addition to his time behind bars, Olacirequi was ordered to pay $470 in burial costs. He will never again be allowed to own a firearm.
