The Murder of Brayla Stone
A Growing Problem
Brayla Stone was one of 44 trans people who were killed in the United States in 2020. While to some people, this number may not seem large enough to be significant, but it very much is. A 2022 research study published by the Pew Research Center demonstrated that approximately 1.6% of the U.S. population identify as trans or nonbinary – and that number has grown exponentially over the past five years.
Looking at murders of the trans population across 2020, and 2021, the majority of victims for both years were Black trans women. In 2020, Human Rights Campaign, Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, and Giffords Law Center and Equality Florida released a report on the 4th anniversary of the Pulse tragedy, titled, “Remembering and Honoring Pulse.” According to this report, there are over 10,300 hate crimes in the U.S. that involve a firearm on average each year. That equates to over 28 a day.
Looking at that data more closely, there were over 1,300 reported hate crimes in 2018 that were motivated due to a bias against the LGBTQ+ community. ONE IN FIVE. In 2018, hate crimes against the LGBTQ community increased by 11% compared to 2017, with a 41% increase in reported crimes against someone because of their gender identity.
Hate crimes motivated by bias (religion, race, disability) are still alarmingly high, particularly for the Black community - which accounts for about half of all reported hate crimes. This is problematic for individuals who are Black and also in the LGBTQ+ community.
An analysis of the Transgender Homicide Tracker illustrated that between 2017 – 2019, 79% of trans homicide victims were Black – and only 16% of the trans population in the U.S. is estimated to be Black. This is a growing problem in the United States.
Brayla’s Murder
Brayla Stone was born on June 3rd, 2003, and grew up in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Brayla was outgoing and had a massive social media presence – particularly on Instagram. Brayla also enjoyed making music.
Brayla was a young, Black, trans teenager, who was only 17 years, old when her body was found on June 25th, 2020. According to an arrest affidavit, an 18-year-old man named Trevone Miller, quickly became a person of interest for Sherwood police once several witnesses came forward. Trevone, who was 18 at the time, was arrested a week after Brayla’s murder.
So, who was Trevone and what was his tie to Brayla? Trevone was seeing Brayla at the time, and he also had another girlfriend. After an altercation between Trevone and Brayla, she threatened to tell people about their relationship. This was the determining factor in Trevone’s decision to murder Brayla. Trevone feared that people would think he was “gay,” even though Brayla was a trans woman.
Trevone pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, reduced from capital murder, in exchange for a 50-year sentence - 40 years for first-degree murder, with an enhanced firearms penalty which added ten years to his term.
Trevone will not be eligible for parole until he’s served 35 years of his sentence, which includes the time he has already spent in custody. Trevone will be 53.
Remembering Brayla
The Center for Artistic Revolution wrote on a Facebook post about Brayla’s vigil, “Brayla was someone who always held space for others to be themselves and express their identities. Despite the fact that these institutions didn't support Brayla, it is important that we uplift her memory and dedicate ourselves to seeking justice for her. She was 17 years old and her life was taken far too soon. We must put a stop to the violence against Black trans women. We don't want another Black trans woman's death to go unnoticed.”
At the time of Brayla’s murder, Arkansas did not have any legislation against hate crimes. However, in April of 2021, Arkansas passed SB 622, a bill that, at best, is a cheap “alternative” to a hate crime bill. Essentially, all SB 622 does is delay the release of offenders, ALREADY INCARCERATED, until they have served at least 80% of their sentence if the offender purposely selects their victim. The problem is, this bill does not specify any protected characteristics and is intentionally vague. Since this is technically not a hate crime bill, Arkansas remains one of the last states to do this – including South Carolina and Wyoming.
We need to do better for Brayla. We need to do better for everyone within the LGBTQ+ community. Life is difficult enough as is, let’s all practice more understanding, and more kindness.
RIP Brayla
