‘James Dixon’s Confession in Transgender Woman’s Death Is Admissible’ – Judge
‘didn’t want to be fooled’ Dixon told police, after his friends ridiculed him
James Dixon, 25, was charged with beating a transgender woman to death
Dixon had been flirting with 21-year-old Islan Nettles before the attack and he said he was unaware that she was transgender
He told cops he experienced ‘blind fury’ when he attacked Nettles and said he didn’t realize the damage
Nettles died from head injuries she sustained when her head hit pavement
Dixon, who now faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, recently rejected a plea offer of 12 years in prison in exchange for a guilt admission.
A Brooklyn man charged with beating a woman to death in Harlem told police he ‘didn’t want to be fooled’ after he realized he had been flirting with a transgender woman.
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James Dixon, 25, told prosecutors that he had been flirting with 21-year-old Islan Nettles moments before the attack and was unaware that she was transgender.
Dixon at first denied he was trying to ‘holler’ at Nettles before the fatal encounter until NYPD Detective Thaddeus Hall called his bluff during a 2013 interrogation.
‘There’s something that leads up to the altercation. ‘Did you try to holler at her?’ Hall said.
Dixon said in the interview that he became enraged when one of his friends taunted him, saying, ‘That’s a guy’.
James Dixon (left), 25, told prosecutors that he had been flirting with 21-year-old Islan Nettles (right) moments before the attack and was unaware that she was transgender
In his confession Dixon said he pushed himself away from Nettles (pictured) and started to walk away, but she then shoved him from behind, forcing him to trip. After getting back to his feet, he said he hit her and knocked her to the sidewalk and then punched her a second time as she lay on the ground
‘I just remember lashing out,’ he said.
Dixon agreed that he felt his ‘manhood’ was threatened by his streak of unknowingly hitting on transgender women, according to the Daily News.
He is charged with manslaughter and assault in the August 17, 2013 death of Nettles, who was attacked just after midnight outside a police station at 147th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard.
A videotape of Dixon’s confession was played during a pretrial hearing Friday to determine if his confession could be used as evidence at his trial next week, according to The New York Times.
Prosecutors say Nettles died of head injuries she sustained when her head hit the pavement as Dixon hit her. She was taken off life support after a week in a coma.
In his confession Dixon said he pushed himself away from Nettles, and started to walk away, but she then shoved him from behind, forcing him to trip.
After getting back to his feet, he said he hit her and knocked her to the sidewalk. He then punched her a second time as she lay on the ground, according to The Times.
Justice Daniel P Conviser ruled the statements admissible.
Nettles, who was an assistant at a fashion company, was walking with two transgender friends when the attack occurred.
Delores Nettles, the mother of slain transgender woman Islan Nettles, holds up Nettles’ picture.
Islan Nettles before he switched gender.
Nettles, who was an assistant at a fashion company, was walking with two transgender friends when the attack occurred just after midnight outside a police station (pictured) at 147th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard
Dixon crossed the street and began chatting with Nettles. ‘I remember asking her what is her name, where are you from,’ he said. ‘That’s how I roll up.’
His friends started ‘clowning’ him as he was talking to Nettles, according to The Times.
Dixon said he had no hatred toward transgender people he just ‘didn’t want to be fooled’ as he had been ridiculed by his friends days earlier when two transgender women approached him.
Again, he didn’t realize they were transgender so he flirted with them and he was teased badly by his friends.
Three days after the assault Dixon turned himself in to the police and confessed.
He told cops he experienced ‘blind fury’ when he attacked Nettles and said he didn’t realize the damage he caused until hearing the gossip in his neighborhood, according to the Daily News.
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