NATIONAL BRIEFING / COLORADO
A man accused of beating an 18-year-old transgendered woman to death with a fire extinguisher “snapped” after finding out the teen was biologically male, a defense lawyer argued as the murder trial began in Greeley.
But a prosecutor contended Allen Andrade knew Angie Zapata’s secret for at least 36 hours before the slaying -- and killed her not in a sudden rage but because he disliked gays and transgenders.
Andrade, 32, would face a mandatory life sentence if convicted of first-degree murder and eight to 24 years in prison if convicted of second-degree murder. Other charges against him include bias-motivated crime, which carries three more years, and habitual offender, which could mean decades more in prison.
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