Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

Cris Blehar was a 65-year-old white trans woman whose life was taken on May 19, 2021 in the Meade County, Kentucky region. Cris has served our nation and retired from the US Air Force. According to local news, a suspect has been charged with her murder and a trial date has been set for June 2022. The young man who murdered her is 18. He’s 18. A kid. And he killed her for some unknown reason.

Police were called to a home on Woodland Avenue to perform a wellness check on Blehar when they found her with apparent knife and bullet wounds.

Kentucky State Police learned Petty had been there the Wednesday before so they brought him in for the investigation. Police said in the citation that Petty admitted to them that he killed Blehar by stabbing and shooting her with a long rifle. He also told police he covered up her body with clothing, grabbed the gun and left.

“There was no relationship between the victim and the suspect. We believe he worked for her,” said Kentucky State Police Trooper Nicholas Hale in an email.

A family member reached out to HRC

Blehar’s cousin Mark Stephens contacted HRC to ensure that she was “remembered, honored, and counted” as a member of the transgender community.

Cris was born in Radcliff, Kentucky and according to her social media profiles, had lived in Honolulu, Newport News, Houston, and Denver. After leaving the Air Force, she worked for Continental Airlines and more recently with Uber. Cris was buried Friday, June 11, 2021 at the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery Central, Radcliff, KY with military honors.

Cris is the forty-ninth trans, nonbinary or gender nonconforming person reported killed in 2021. Forty-three of these neighbors have been BIPOC. 30 of these victims were under the age of 30. At 65, Cris was the oldest victim this year. That we know of, as many deaths go unreported or unacknowledged. 2021 is now the most violent year on record for our trans neighbors in the United States, surpassing the previous total of 44 deaths in 2020.

Cris documented her travels on her social media – she had been to Hong Kong, Munich, Beijing, Barcelona, and beyond. She posted many photos with friends and family as well as her beloved animals. She is survived by her son, Maverick Thompson, two grandchildren, and her extended family. Her obituary can be found here.

Rest in power, Cris. Your life was so important and valuable. I wish we had known earlier in the year to be able to honor you and support your loved ones. You deserved many more years to watch your grandbabies grow up and help them see the wider world through your stories. I am sorry we did not create a better world for you, one that kept your safe.

May your memory be a revolution.

Our list of transgender, gender, and non-binary neighbors lost to violence in 2021. Please do not copy or share this list without attribution.

1. Tyianna Davarea Alexandra — Chicago, Illinois. January 6, 2021. Age 28.
2. Samuel Edmund Damián Valentín — Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. January 9, 2021. Age 21.
3. Dominique Jackson — Jackson, Mississippi. January 25, 2021. Age 30.
4. Bianca ‘Muffin’ Bankz — Atlanta, Georgia. January 21, 2021. Age 31.
5. Fifty Bandzzz — Baton Rouge, Louisiana. January 28, 2021. Age 21.
6. Alexus “Kimmy” Braxton — Miami, Florida. February 4, 2021. Age 45.
7. Chynaa Carrillo — New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. February 18, 2021. Age 24.
8. Jeffrey ‘JJ’ Bright — Ambridge, Pennsylvania. February 22, 2021. Age 16.
9. Jasmine Cannady — Ambridge, Pennsylvania. February 22, 2021. Age 22.
10. Jenna Franks — Jacksonville, North Carolina, February 24, 2021. Age 34. **
11. Diamond Nicole ‘Kyree’ Sanders — Cincinnati, Ohio. March 3, 2021. Age 23.
12. Rayanna Pardo — Los Angeles, California, March 17, 2021. Age 26. ***
13. Aidelen Evans — Port Arthur, Texas, March 2021. Age 24 ****
14. Dominique Lucious — Springfield, Missouri, April 8, 2021. Age 26.
15. Jaida Peterson — Charlotte, North Carolina, April 4, 2021. Age 29.
16. Remy Fennell — Charlotte, North Carolina, April 15, 2021. Age 28.
17. Tiara Banks — Chicago, Illinois, April 21, 2021. Age 26.
18. Natalia Smüt Lopez — San Jose, California, April 23, 2021. Age 24.
19. Tiffany Thomas — Dallas, Texas, April 21, 2021. Age 38.
20. Iris Santos — Houston, Texas, April 23, 2021. Age 22.
21. Jahaira M. DeAlto — Boston, Massachusetts, May 2, 2021. Age 42.
22. Keri Washington — Clearwater, Florida, May 1, 2021. Age 49.
23. Danny Henson — Baltimore, Maryland, May 4, 2021. Age 31.
24. Whispering Wind Bear Spirit — York, Pennsylvania, May 4, 2021 Age 41
25. Sophie Vasquez — Atlanta, Georgia, May 4, 2021. Age 36.
26. Serenity Hollis — Albany, Georgia, May 8, 2021. Age 24.
27. Oliver “Ollie” Taylor — Gervais, Oregon, May 19, 2021. Age 27.
28. Thomas Hardin — York, South Carolina, May 2, 2021. Age 35.
29. Poe Black / Oliver Jackson — Slab City, Niland, California, May 11, 2021 (estimated). Age 21.
30. EJ Boykin / Novaa Watson — Lynchburg, Virginia, May 14, 2021. Age 23.
31. Taya Ashton — Suitland, Maryland, July 17, 2021. Age 20.
32. Shai Vanderpump — Trenton, New Jersey, July 30, 2021. Age 23.
33. Tierramarie Lewis — Cleveland, Ohio, June 12, 2021. Age 30.
34. Miss CoCo — Dallas, Texas, August 7, 2021. Age 44.
35. Pooh Johnson — Shreveport, Louisiana, August 23, 2021. Age 25.
36. Disaya Monaee Smith — Dolton, Illinois, September 6, 2021. Age 32.
37. Brianna Ulmer Hamilton — Chicago, Illinois, September 17, 2021. Age 25.
38. Kier Laprice (Kartier) Solomon — Dallas, Texas, September 30, 2021. Age 21.
39. Royal Poetical Starz — Miami Gardens, Florida, October 2, 2021. Age 26.
40. Mel Robert Groves — Jackson, Mississippi, October 11, 2021. Age 25.
41. Zoella “Zoey” Rose Martinez – Seattle, Washington, August 31, 2021. Age 20.
42. Jo Acker– Boise, Idaho, October 25, 2021. Age 26.
43. Jessi Hart – Banks, Oregon, early October 2021. Age 42.
44. Rikkey Outumuro – Centralia, Washington, October 30 or 31, 2021. Age 39.
45. Marquiisha Lawrence – Greenville, South Carolina, November 5, 2021. Age 28.
46. Jenny De Leon – Tampa, Florida, November 2, 2021. Age 25.
47. Angel Naira – Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, November 11, 2021. Age 36.
48. Danyale Johnson – Memphis, Tennessee, November 7, 2021. Age 35.
49. Cris Blehar – Vine Grove, Kentucky, May 19, 2021. Age 65. (Reported Dec 2021)

We are also still monitoring these suspicious deaths from 20/21 (in addition to the 44 documented killings.)

Fendi Mon’ezah Armstrong — Lithonia, Georgia, November 11, 2020. Age 39

Kimberely Patricia Cope — Athens, Georgia, December 27, 2020. Age 40.

Natasha Keianna — Detroit, Michigan, January 12, 2021. Age 37.

Bonaire ‘Bonnie’ Black — Atlanta, Georgia, December 31, 2020. Age 19.

Koko Nia Labeija — Chicago, Illinois, Found June 2020, Identified April 2021, Age 19

Haven Bailey — Villa Park, Illinois, May 24, 2021. Age 25.