The body of transgender woman Duanna Johnson, 40 was found yesterday afternoon in North Memphis, TN. The Memphis Flyer reports:

Johnson was the victim of a Memphis police brutality case this summer when a video of former officer Bridges McRae beating her in a jail holding area was released to the media.

The video led to the eventual firing of McRae and Officer James Swain. It also led to the formation of a Stop Police Brutality Memphis, a coalition of human rights activists who lobbied the city council for more sensitivity training for Memphis Police officers.

A statement from the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center: "Duanna bravely confronted the Memphis Police Department officers who brutalized her while she was in police custody. At great personal cost, Duanna was the public face of our community's campaign against racism, homophobia, and transphobia. There was no justice for Duanna Johnson in life. The Mid-South Peace & Justice Center calls for justice in the investigation and prosecution of Duanna's murder."

CONTINUED »

Well that didn't take long!

After a mere three hours of deliberation, a British jury today found Anthony Morley guilty of murdering Damien Oldfield (right).

In addition to slashing his throat and stabbing Oldfield, Morley, a chef and former Mr. Gay UK winner, cut off pieces of his victim and then seasoned them for cooking.

Morley claimed the gruesome attack was an act of self-defense. Oldfield, he testified, had tried to rape him after Morley told the ad man he wanted to take their relationship slow. The prosecution described that defense as rubbish.

Morley will be sentenced at a later date.

Jeromie Cancel could be the poster child for "horror." And, frighteningly enough, he'd probably enjoy the title.

The 22-year old yesterday again admitted to murdering 19-year old Kevin Pravia because he was "bored." This we already knew.

Cancel remarks yesterday, however, give us an even deeper view into the gruesome killing.

According to the Cancel, a "drifter," he first met Pravia in Time Square, where the gay college student was allegedly looking for drugs. The men then headed back to Pravia's Chelsea apartment, where the victim fell asleep. Cancel seized the moment to get his sick kicks

Cancel recalled how the sleeping Pravia's eyes flew open as he felt the murderer's noose around his neck.

And even as Pravia's struggles grew faint, Cancel kept his free hand - the one not pulling the cord - on his cigarette and his eyes on the movie in the DVD player, "Saw," a gory horror flick.

Cancel also stuffed a plastic bag in Pravia's mouth. He has, for the record, feels no remorse and said, "I'd do it again." Fucking sick.

Anthony Morley's murder trial took a queer turn yesterday.

Morley, a cook and former Mr. Gay UK honoree (pictured), stands accused of killing and cooking his lover, Damian Oldfield, but Morley tells a different tale.

According to him, he had told Oldfield that he wanted to slow the relationship down, but Olfield wasn't having it and, says Morley, became too sexually forward. Then, feeling threatened, Morley says he went into work mode:

Asked if he could give the jury a rational explanation as to why he killed Mr Oldfield, Morley said: 'The feeling of betrayal. I don't know why I went on to kill him at that point, I really don't.

'I can only say at some point Damian's body had just become something I would deal with at work - a piece of meat. That's the only thing I can think of. That was my daily task, preparing meat.

If only he had a more gentle profession, like a blogger, then Morley could have just written a scathing review, rather than (allegedly) turning all cannibal and shit.

Anthony Morley sounds a bit nutty.

The Britain-based chef, who also once held the coveted title of Mr. Gay UK (pictured), is currently standing trial for murdering 33-year old Damian Oldfield. Oldfield had been stabbed multiple times and had pieces of his flesh cut out. Those pieces were found seasoned on Morley's cutting board. Ew.

Hoping to build their case against the allegedly insane Morley, 36, prosecutors yesterday called one of Morley's former lovers, Shaun Wood, whose own experience with Morley played out like a nightmare. According to Wood, the men once got into a fight over some money Morley had borrowed. When Wood asked for it back, says Wood, Morley went a bit will.

In addition to calling him a "silly poof," Morley allegedly went at Wood with a meat cleaver:

Mr Wood said: "He went to the kitchen and came back and sat down on the settee and five minutes later he leapt up and went for me with a meat cleaver, but fortunately he fell backwards so it didn't get me, otherwise it would have done."

The witness said Morley aimed the cleaver at his head.

Mr Wood continued: "I was obviously very scared but immediately afterwards he went upstairs to his bedroom and started smashing the bedroom up, shouting 'I'm psychotic, I'm mad, get me a doctor'."

Despite all this, Wood described Morley as a "caring" person and blamed their argument on booze.

Ronald Dominique has plenty of time - and blood - on his hands.

A judge yesterday sentenced the Louisianian to eight consecutive life sentences for raping and murdering a number of men. Dominique previously confessed to killing nearly two dozen, but only pleaded guilty to killing eight. And his tactics were especially sick:

…Dominique lured his victims with the promise of sex in exchange for money, or by showing them a picture of a good-looking woman, supposedly his wife, and saying he wanted them to have sex with her.

Once he got them to his house, he would ask to tie them up.

If they refused, he allowed them to leave. If they agreed, he raped and then strangled or suffocated them.

Many of his victims' bodies were found dumped in sugar cane fields, often without shoes, a connection that helped police tie the cases together.

Dominique's killing spree went on for ten years. You can be sure he'll be included in the next installment of Cold Bitches…

Brandon McInerney's defense team's busy laying the groundwork for their client's potential murder trial.

McInerney, you'll recall, stands accused of shooting 15-year old Lawrence King to death last February. His lawyers yesterday won access to King's personal records, which they hope will shed light on the "context" of the killing, which many say was motivated by King's crush on McInerney.

The records in question are expected to disclose information on King's behavior during the time he was living at Casa Pacifica, a center for troubled and abused children located near Camarillo, and attending Green School.

[Attorney William Quest] told the judge that he wanted unedited records, including the names of students, so he can talk "to other people," including students, about the case.
…
"As I said before, Brandon is not a sociopath. This is not some crazy kid," the attorney said, adding that this shooting was unlike others that have occurred in schools across the nation.

Quest said there was "a lot of stuff going on" before the shooting.

"There were warnings of trouble," he said. "What I am trying to establish, given the mandatory harsh sentencing that goes with trying a 14-year-old as an adult, is explaining what was going on. How this tragedy happened, not trying to minimize it or take anything away from the tragedy. But at least, provide it in the context which we think would provide a partial defense on behalf of Brandon."

Let's hope this doesn't turn into a "blame the victim" side show…