]Hundreds Of Witnesses, Bree Black's Murder Still Unsolved

Bree Black was gunned down on July 3, 2020 on a crowded street with “approximately hundreds” of witnesses in Pompano Beach, Florida. She was deadnamed by police when they revealed the news, although it was known initially that she was a trans woman.

Eight months later, her case remains unsolved — but investigators and activists are doing what they can to prevent this from happening again.

Thus, it’s up to non-profits and independent researchers, like Brendan Lantz of the Hate Crime Research and Policy Institute, to compile data on the matter. Lantz’s data estimates that the clearance rates for investigations into the murder of trans people is 44 percent in the United States, and 40 percent in Florida.

Out of the 10 recent murders of trans people in Florida, Lantz believes nine were misgendered. “I think it’s really important to look at the relationship between misgendering, deadnaming, and clearance rates,” he explained.

“In the case of Bree Black, the frustration remains that even though detectives know there were multiple witnesses on scene at the time of the murder, none came forward with information to help this case,” Sgt. Donald Prichard told the Sun-Sentinel in a postpartum of the events following Black’s murder.

Key information that the Broward County Sheriff’s Office investigators gathered had to come from Tatiana Williams, director of the Transinclusive Group. Williams connected with Black’s family and friends and learned vital information that could allow Black’s murder to finally be solved.

The reward in Black’s case is now $8,000, and anyone with information can contact the Broward Co. Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.