Remembering Our Dead

Felicia Moreno

Felicia was shot twice by a client.

Her murderer, a U.S. Marine lance corporal named Patrick Edward Vallor, was shot and killed after a standoff with police.

Following the murder on a block near Melrose Avenue, Vallor dumped Moreno’s body in a cul-de-sac, drawing the attention of a resident who called police with a description of Vallor’s car. A helicopter responding to the call identified the car and a pursuit involving police cars ensued. When cornered by police, according to a police statement, Vallor exited his car and, after refusing to comply with orders to surrender, police fired a non-lethal beanbag round, a projectile that “affords police the opportunity to make an arrest,” said Berndt.

However, the device failed to subdue Vallor, who then drew a gun.

“Two-year veteran Officer Mario Jacinto, in fear of his safety, fired his service handgun at Vallor,” said the police department press release.

According to Vivianna Hernandez, a transgender woman who works in Los Angeles’ Gay and Lesbian Center as a victims’ advocate, Moreno self-identified as a woman, wore female clothing and used Felicia as her first name.

“She self-identified as a transgender female,” said Hernandez, who characterized Moreno as an affable person who attended meetings at an HIV prevention site set up for the Latino community.

“Compared to my age, I saw a lot of innocence and she was a humble person,” said Hernandez, who added that she was unsure if Moreno had undergone any gender reassignment surgery. Hernandez said that Moreno was an undocumented immigrant “maybe from Mexico, maybe from El Salvador,” who likely engaged in sex work in order to make money to survive.

https://www.gaycitynews.nyc/stories/2005/1/marine-kills-trans-2005-01-05.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20081118193839/http://tgdor.org/list.shtml

http://www.aboutcecilia.com/2005/05/anti-transgender-murders-update.html

Report added: 3 Dec 2018. Last updated: 13 Jan 2021

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