Post by abbey1227 on Apr 26, 2024 1:29:08 GMT
Man arrested after transgender woman found beaten to death outside Miami City Ballet building
Warning: Article includes graphic details from arrest report. Viewer discretion is advised
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A man has been arrested after a homeless transgender woman was beaten to death Tuesday morning while sleeping outside of the Miami City Ballet building in Miami Beach, authorities confirmed.
According to the suspect’s arrest report, an employee of the ballet company spotted what he believed to be someone sleeping outside of the building at 2200 Liberty Ave. and tried to wake her up.
But Miami Beach police said the victim didn’t respond, and the man then noticed blood around her body, at which time he called 911.
According to the report, officers and Miami Beach Fire Rescue personnel responded to the scene and rolled the victim to a supine position, at which time they saw trauma and blood to her face and head, which was partially covered with a sweater.
The victim, identified as Andrea Dosspassos, was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:56 a.m. Her grieving stepfather Victor Van Gilst said he had known her since she was 10 years old and described her as “wonderful.” He said she had been struggling with mental health issues for the last 5 to 10 years.
“When she was complying with her medication, she was extremely social, very helpful. She was living with us in the house, but then it’s like a switch goes off and it was all wrong,” Van Gilst said.
He added that she had medical issues and had been to many facilities in Florida and California. Van Gilst said he last spoke to her two weeks ago.
“She called me from Mount Sinai, psych intake, and she was crying,” Van Gilst said. “She was yelling. She was totally off ... I believe that maybe a psychiatrist should’ve recognized not to discharge a person like that, but also, Andrea was an adult.”
Van Gilst said he and her mother felt powerless and their grief comes with guilt.
“I knew one day this could happen,” Van Gilst said. “Andrea was trans. We thought at first it could be a hate crime ... Nobody deserves this -- to die like this.”
According to the arrest report, detectives obtained surveillance video from the area, which showed Dosspassos laying down outside of the building around midnight.
Police said later on in the morning, a man, eventually identified as Gregory Fitzgerald Gibert, 53, was seen in the video looking around the area, including at the victim, before picking up a metal pipe from the ground and sitting on a nearby bench.
Police said he then walked over to where Dosspassos was sleeping and began striking her with the pipe on her head and face.
According to the report, the video shows Gibert standing over her and then “manipulating her body” before discarding the pipe in a nearby trashcan.
As authorities were inspecting the victim’s body, they saw that two wooden sticks had been lodged into her nostrils, one of which exited over her right eye.
“A puncture wound was also located on the victim’s chest,” the arrest report stated.
Police said the murder weapon was recovered from the trashcan and a Be On The Lookout (BOLO) was issued for Gibert.
He was located early Wednesday morning in the 1500 block of Northwest First Street and was wearing the same unique basketball shoes that were seen in the surveillance video, police said.
“This is an unfortunate situation is all I can say,” Miami Beach resident Irving Fisher said.
According to his arrest report, Gibert invoked his right to not speak with detectives.
Police said the victim legally changed her name and sex in October 2023. It’s unclear at this time, however, whether this was a hate crime or if there was another motive for the killing.
“It makes me feel horrible. It’s like, this could happen here in a good neighborhood?” Miami Beach resident Daniela Tabbara said.
As of Wednesday morning, Gibert was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a second-degree murder charge. His bond has not yet been set.
Jail records show Gibert was on probation at the time of his arrest for attempted armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of drug paraphernalia.
“Tragedies like this one only serve to remind us of how dangerous it is to live on the streets,” Ron Book, Chair of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, said in a statement. “This is why the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust is steadfast in its efforts to house people experiencing homelessness and bring an end to unsheltered homelessness. Thanks to the smart and aggressive detective work of Miami Beach Police Department and Miami-Dade County Police Department, a suspect was apprehended quickly. We trust the legal system will find justice for Andrea dos Passos.”
Warning: Article includes graphic details from arrest report. Viewer discretion is advised
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A man has been arrested after a homeless transgender woman was beaten to death Tuesday morning while sleeping outside of the Miami City Ballet building in Miami Beach, authorities confirmed.
According to the suspect’s arrest report, an employee of the ballet company spotted what he believed to be someone sleeping outside of the building at 2200 Liberty Ave. and tried to wake her up.
But Miami Beach police said the victim didn’t respond, and the man then noticed blood around her body, at which time he called 911.
According to the report, officers and Miami Beach Fire Rescue personnel responded to the scene and rolled the victim to a supine position, at which time they saw trauma and blood to her face and head, which was partially covered with a sweater.
The victim, identified as Andrea Dosspassos, was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:56 a.m. Her grieving stepfather Victor Van Gilst said he had known her since she was 10 years old and described her as “wonderful.” He said she had been struggling with mental health issues for the last 5 to 10 years.
“When she was complying with her medication, she was extremely social, very helpful. She was living with us in the house, but then it’s like a switch goes off and it was all wrong,” Van Gilst said.
He added that she had medical issues and had been to many facilities in Florida and California. Van Gilst said he last spoke to her two weeks ago.
“She called me from Mount Sinai, psych intake, and she was crying,” Van Gilst said. “She was yelling. She was totally off ... I believe that maybe a psychiatrist should’ve recognized not to discharge a person like that, but also, Andrea was an adult.”
Van Gilst said he and her mother felt powerless and their grief comes with guilt.
“I knew one day this could happen,” Van Gilst said. “Andrea was trans. We thought at first it could be a hate crime ... Nobody deserves this -- to die like this.”
According to the arrest report, detectives obtained surveillance video from the area, which showed Dosspassos laying down outside of the building around midnight.
Police said later on in the morning, a man, eventually identified as Gregory Fitzgerald Gibert, 53, was seen in the video looking around the area, including at the victim, before picking up a metal pipe from the ground and sitting on a nearby bench.
Police said he then walked over to where Dosspassos was sleeping and began striking her with the pipe on her head and face.
According to the report, the video shows Gibert standing over her and then “manipulating her body” before discarding the pipe in a nearby trashcan.
As authorities were inspecting the victim’s body, they saw that two wooden sticks had been lodged into her nostrils, one of which exited over her right eye.
“A puncture wound was also located on the victim’s chest,” the arrest report stated.
Police said the murder weapon was recovered from the trashcan and a Be On The Lookout (BOLO) was issued for Gibert.
He was located early Wednesday morning in the 1500 block of Northwest First Street and was wearing the same unique basketball shoes that were seen in the surveillance video, police said.
“This is an unfortunate situation is all I can say,” Miami Beach resident Irving Fisher said.
According to his arrest report, Gibert invoked his right to not speak with detectives.
Police said the victim legally changed her name and sex in October 2023. It’s unclear at this time, however, whether this was a hate crime or if there was another motive for the killing.
“It makes me feel horrible. It’s like, this could happen here in a good neighborhood?” Miami Beach resident Daniela Tabbara said.
As of Wednesday morning, Gibert was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a second-degree murder charge. His bond has not yet been set.
Jail records show Gibert was on probation at the time of his arrest for attempted armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of drug paraphernalia.
“Tragedies like this one only serve to remind us of how dangerous it is to live on the streets,” Ron Book, Chair of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, said in a statement. “This is why the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust is steadfast in its efforts to house people experiencing homelessness and bring an end to unsheltered homelessness. Thanks to the smart and aggressive detective work of Miami Beach Police Department and Miami-Dade County Police Department, a suspect was apprehended quickly. We trust the legal system will find justice for Andrea dos Passos.”
“A horrific murder of a homeless individual occurred on the streets of our city,” Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner said in a statement. “Thankfully, the Miami Beach Police Department made an arrest within 24 hours. The suspect has an extensive criminal record and reportedly was recently released from custody on probation for prior criminal charges. Police apprehended the suspect in the City of Miami and the investigation is currently ongoing. This case is further evidence that individuals need to be held accountable for prior violent crimes for the protection of the public. We offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the victim. The safety of our residents and everyone in our city is the top priority.”
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