Michelle Moore murder update: Gruesome slaying no longer looked at as hate crime

DETROIT –
After originally calling upon the FBI to investigate the case as a possible hate crime, officials at Equality Michigan are now revealing that the tragic death of Michelle Moore is no longer being considered as such. Moore went missing Oct. 23rd and a burnt torso was discovered just off I-94 on Detroit's east side later the same day. But it wasn't until nearly three weeks later that the body part was matched to Moore.
The method of the crime combined with comments made by a taxi driver who saw Moore shortly before she was murdered initially led investigators to look at the hate crime angle. But sources familiar with the investigation are now saying the murder appears to be drug-related, though no official comment on the matter has been made.
"Though this may not be a hate crime, it certainly is a reflection of the problems many of our youth face," said Nusrat Ventimiglia, director of victim services for Equality Michigan, at a panel discussion on hate crimes at Wayne State University last week.
Michelle Fox-Phillips, executive director of Transgender Detroit, said that while the case may not be a traditional hate crime, the fact that Moore was transgender may have still factored into her death as a lot of young, transgender women often find themselves in unsafe settings after being unable to secure traditional means of employment.
"They can't afford to get their names changed, let alone their gender markers changed, which makes it difficult for them to get a job," Fox-Phillips explained. "They're presenting themselves as Mary and their I.D. says they're John, and employers don't necessarily want to deal with it."
Despite of the reclassification of the crime, members of the trans community are still reeling.
"As a transgender woman, I can tell you that Michelle's brutal murder last month – regardless of the fact that it may not be a hate motivated crime – raised my own level of anxiety and fear," said Denise Brogan-Kator, executive director of Equality Michigan.