Transgender murder in Nashville

Police Looking For Leads In Fatal Beating

Jan 8, 2007 08:40 AM

NASHVILLE - Police are looking for help after the victim of a deadly beating was found behind a South Nashville pool hall.

A security guard spotted Nakia Baker's body, lying next to a car behind Club Adventura early Sunday morning.

Police said Baker had suffered trauma to his head. Investigators believe he may have gotten in some sort of confrontation in the parking lot.

If you have any information about this case, call Metro police.

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Man Found Dead Wearing Women's Clothing

POSTED: 10:56 am CST January 8, 2007
UPDATED: 12:41 pm CST January 8, 2007

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Police have identified the man who was found dead Sunday morning near his car in south Nashville. Naklia Baker’s body was found near a club on Nolensville Pike. Investigators said Baker was dressed in women’s clothing and had suffered head trauma.

Witnesses reported he had been seen socializing in the club with other men dressed as women. Baker may have been involved in some type of confrontation in the parking lot, according to police.
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PRESS RELEASE


For Immediate Release: Dated January 10, 2007
From: Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC)
Contact: Marisa Richmond, Ph.D., Nashville
Contact Address: P.O. Box 92335, Nashville, TN 37209
Contact Email: TTGPAC@aol.com
Contact Cell Phone: 615-293-6199
Contact FAX: 615-353-1834
Website: http://ttgpac.com


TTPC Condemns Murder of Nakia Ladelle Baker in Nashville

The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC) condemns the murder of Nakia Ladelle Baker, a 31 year old transperson from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Baker's body was found beaten in a parking lot behind a nightclub in the Radnor neighborhood of Nashville in the early morning hours of January 7, 2007.

We also extend our deepest sympathies to the friends and family of Nakia Ladelle Baker.

Baker's murder is the seventh documented murder of a person based on gender identity or expression in Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County. Only four of these murders have been solved to date.

The murder of Nakia Ladelle Baker is also the second murder of a transgender person in the State of Tennessee in less than a year.

On February 16, 2006, 21 year old Tiffany Berry, a pre-operative transsexual, was shot three times in the chest after she had just stepped outside of her South Memphis apartment. She died a few minutes later. Memphis police describe it as a robbery-homocide, despite the fact that her purse was not taken, and claim that her being a transsexual was not relevant.

The board and members of TTPC encourage the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, as well as the Memphis Police Department, to investigate these crimes aggressively so that the perpetrators can be brought to justice. We also ask anyone with any information about these crimes to come forward.

The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC) is an organization designed to educate and advocate on behalf of transgender related legislation at the Federal, State and local levels. TTPC is dedicated to raising public awareness and building alliances with other organizations concerned with equal rights legislation.

For more information, contact:

Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC)
P.O. Box 92335
Nashville, TN 37209
TTGPAC@aol.com