South Carolina Man Sentenced for Obstructing Murder Investigation of Transgender Woman, What Exactly Happened?

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A South Carolina man was convicted on Thursday for impeding the investigation into the December 2019 murder of a transgender woman in Allendale County.

Xavier Pinckney, 24, received a 45-month prison term for supplying false and misleading information to state authorities investigating Dime Doe’s murder. He earlier pleaded guilty on October 26, 2023.

According to court filings, Pinckney admitted to concealing from state authorities the use of his phone to call and text Doe on the day of her death, as well as lying to state investigators about seeing his co-defendant, Daqua Ritter, on the morning of her murder. Ritter was convicted of a hate crime, a firearms charge, and obstruction of justice in a jury trial stemming from his murder of Doe. Ritter was the first defendant convicted guilty of a hate crime motivated by gender identity under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Pinckney’s sentence “is part of our effort to fully seek justice and accountability following the tragic murder of a Black transgender woman,” according to Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

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“The message should be clear: the Justice Department will thoroughly investigate and prosecute individuals who target the Black transgender community, including those who illegally obstruct investigations into these horrible crimes. We want the Black trans community to understand that we support the LGBTQI+ community, reject transphobic violence, and will pursue justice for victims and their families.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Columbia Field Office, with help from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Allendale County Sheriff’s Office, and Allendale Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brook Andrews, Ben Garner, and Elle Klein for the District of South Carolina, as well as Trial Attorney Andrew Manns from the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.

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