Three people accused of brutally murdering, mutilating and then burning a transgender teenager in rural Missouri will not be charged with a hate crime as prosecutors contend that her gender identity did not motivate them to commit the crime.
The mutilated and burned body of 17-year-old Ally Lee Steinfeld was found in a chicken coop near a mobile home belonging to one of her alleged killers, 24-year-old Briana Calderas, with whom Steinfeld had been dating and living. The other two suspects, Andrew Vrba and Isis Schauer, both 18, also resided on the property. All three, along with 25-year-old James Grigsby, have been charged with first degree murder.
More from TIME here.
