In a poignant display of community solidarity, loved ones and supporters gathered Thursday night to remember the transgender woman who was brutally murdered earlier this week near the Miami City Ballet.
Andrea Dos Passos's mother, Ana Van Gilst, was touched by the overwhelming support and shared precious memories of her daughter at the Pridelines LGBTQ community center.
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WATCH HERE“She had a community that cared for her. It just makes me feel good. She’s good now. She is safe. She felt peace. She’s with loved ones that are waiting for her,” Van Gilst said during the vigil.
She recalled a cherished memory where the two spent the day together preparing for a photo shoot for Dos Passos.
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“We spent the whole day. We went to the hairdresser, we got our nails done. We went looking for outfits and she was super happy. And then we went out and we had dinner, and she said, ‘I feel like a princess today,’” she said.
The body of Dos Passos was discovered brutally beaten Tuesday at the Miami City Ballet in Miami Beach at Liberty Avenue and 22nd Street, where she had been sleeping.
Pridelines Executive Director Dr. Edward Summers spoke to NBC6 about organizing Thursday’s gathering.
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“This is just an opportunity for us to grieve and come together as a community,” he said. “… She was a light. She was somebody who just was very active and really loved the beach.”
The suspect, 53-year-old Gregory Gibert, was charged with second-degree murder following his arrest.
Gibert, who had been released from jail just a week prior and is known as a habitual violent offender, is alleged to have attacked Dos Passos with a metal pipe as she slept.
The violent attack left Dos Passos with a puncture wound to her chest, and investigators found two wooden sticks lodged in her nostrils.
Bond court Judge Mindy Glazer openly questioned why the charges against Gibert weren’t more severe during his initial court appearance Thursday.
“I’ve had a chance to read the arrest affidavit,” Glazer said. “To me, it looks like it should be first-degree murder, not second-degree based on the facts alleged in the arrest affidavit.”
Whether charges will be enhanced will ultimately be decided by another judge. In response to the tragedy, the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus has called for the murder to be investigated as a hate crime.
The State Attorney’s Office says its hate crimes unit is reviewing the case to determine if Florida’s hate crime enhancements are applicable, promising a thorough examination of the brutal circumstances surrounding Dos Passos’s death.
