No Arrests in Fresno Trans Death

More than a month after a transgender woman died after being stabbed on a Fresno street, law enforcement agencies are continuing to seek the person who attacked her.

K.C. Haggard, 66, of Fresno, who's been recalled as a "sweet" person, was seen on the surveillance video from a tattoo shop walking down North Blackstone Avenue early in the morning of July 23.

In the video, an SUV drove toward Haggard and stopped near her. Haggard walked over to the vehicle and appeared to talk for a few moments with someone inside. After someone jabbed at her throat, Haggard walked away and collapsed on the sidewalk.

An ambulance and a police car finally arrived several minutes after the attack, and she was pronounced dead at 2:52 a.m.

Fresno police Lieutenant Joe Gomez said in an email Tuesday, September 1 that no arrests have been made.

In a news release, police described the vehicle as "a light colored possible Saturn SUV with a moon roof and some kind of unidentified markings on the front passenger's door."

The suspect has been "described as a Hispanic man in his mid-to-late 30s," according to the Fresno Bee . "He was around 5 feet 9 inches tall and 150-160 pounds with tattoos on both arms and short, dark hair."

Since the Bay Area Reporter's initial coverage of Haggard's death, it has become increasingly clear that she identified as a woman. She was wearing women's clothing when she was killed.

The Fresno group Trans-E-Motion recently shared a photo of a sign-in sheet for a May support group bearing Haggard's name. Haggard, whose legal name was Kenton, signed in as "Kenton (Casey) Haggard."

Zoyer Zyndel, 28, a trans man who's with the group, said Haggard "was planning to begin living as her authentic self. She wanted to go to meetings to meet other people and get support for the beginning of her transition."

Jane Mayhew, 23, a lesbian transgender woman who sometimes facilitated the group and now lives in Washington, D.C., said Haggard "was a very kind, very sweet old woman. I can't imagine anybody having any sort of grudge against her."

Mayhew said that in the support group Haggard used feminine pronouns.

"She often referred to herself as a cross dresser," Mayhew said, adding, "She seemed like she identified as a trans woman, but I don't think I ever heard her call herself that."

Rebecca Rangel, 63, of Fresno, met Haggard, a former security guard, in a job search class last year, and she'd spoken with her regularly until her death.

Rangel, who declined to share her orientation, said Haggard had "a fabulous sense of humor," and was "just adorable." She said she'd known Haggard as a man who went by "Ken."

Haggard's home in a quiet complex in the 6500 block of North Palm Avenue is about five and a half miles from where she was stabbed.

An American flag hung from the porch light of the home she'd shared with her roommates, and a red, white, and blue ribbon adorned the front door. No one came to the door when a reporter visited recently or responded to a note left at the home.

Haggard had reportedly started dressing in women's clothing only recently.

Angie, the complex's manager, who didn't want her last name published, said she'd spoken with Haggard every day, but she'd only seen Haggard dressed as a woman once.

Haggard frequently took the bus to go to job interviews, but "a lot of times I would see him drunk," Angie said, using male pronouns for Haggard. "I just used to tell him to be careful."

She said Haggard's phone and her remote control for the complex gate had been stolen a couple of times.

The FBI is working with local law enforcement officials and trying to determine whether Haggard's death was a hate crime.

The surveillance video from July shows Haggard stumbling to the sign for Auto Citi, an empty shop at 3004 North Blackstone Avenue.

A week after her death, several candles, some flowers, and a small angel figurine marked the spot where she had slumped down in the dirt.

At Most Wanted Tattoo, 2940 North Blackstone, Ernesto Rubio, 37, the shop's manager, said he and others placed some of the candles by the sign. It was Most Wanted's cameras that captured Haggard being stabbed.

"It's a sad situation," Rubio said. "We kind of feel connected" to Haggard.

"We're trying to do anything and everything to help," he said. The shop's cameras have even been adjusted in order to capture better images of any future incidents.

Rubio, who said he'd never seen the suspect's vehicle before watching the video, said, "I even thought about driving out and catching him myself."