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Prison for 3 in Transgender Teen Killing

By MICHELLE LOCKE
The Associated Press
Friday, January 27, 2006; 4:55 PM

HAYWARD, Calif. -- Two men who killed a transgender teenager after discovering the girl they had had sex with was biologically male were sentenced Friday to 15 years to life in prison.

Michael Magidson, 25, and Jose Merel, 26, received the mandatory sentence for second-degree murder. A third man, Jason Cazares, 26, who pleaded no contest to manslaughter, was sentenced to six years.


The men were accused of killing 17-year-old Gwen Araujo in 2002.

Araujo was born a boy named Edward but lived as woman. Magidson and Merel had sex with the teenager and became suspicious as to whether Araujo was a woman. The teenager was beaten, tied up and strangled.

Before the sentences were handed out Friday, Araujo's relatives addressed the court, wiping away tears as they talked about their loss.

"Gwen deserved the right to live her life," said her mother, Sylvia Guerrero.

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