PA- Pauly Likens Jr., 14, trans, stabbed & dismembered, LE still recovering body parts, Shenango River Lake, 22/6/24, *Arrest- DaShawn Watkins, 29*

[dotr]

July 6 '24 rbbm

Man Arrested Days After Missing Trans Teen Found Dismembered Near Lake

The slain 14-year-old girl's mother told a local LGBTQ group she fears the killing was a hate crime.

www.huffpost.com

'A 29-year-old man arrested on Tuesday stands accused of killing a teen who was found dismembered near a Pennsylvania lake last week.
DaShawn Watkins, 29, was taken into custody and accused of fatally stabbing 14-year-old Pauly Likens Jr., who was last seen by a friend on the night of June 22, according to reports by NBC affiliate WFMJ. Her remains were discovered three days later near Shenango River Lake by police.''

''Pamela Ladner, president of the LGBTQIA+ Alliance Shenango Valley, told HuffPost in an email that she was given permission from the victim’s mom to share that Likens was transgender, and that she believes her daughter’s killing was a hate crime.
Ladner said that authorities are still recovering body parts.''

 

[dotr]

'An absolute monster': Man killed and dismembered 14-year-old with electric saw, police say

DaShawn Watkins is accused of killing and dismembering a 14-year-old in Pennsylvania using an electric saw then dumping the remains in multiple areas of a lake.

lawandcrime.com

'The Sharon Herald reported that additional remains continued to be recovered from multiple different areas around the lake for a week following the initial discovery. State police investigators on June 27, were reportedly observed using an underwater drone''

Dismembered remains found at Shenango River Reservoir identified as missing Sharon teen; Suspect arrested

Based upon the forensic autopsy and studies performed, the cause of death was determined to be sharp force trauma to the head and was ruled homicide.

www.wfmj.com

''According to the release, Watkins returns to the apartment complex and struggles to carry a large duffel bag. The criminal complaint says suspected blood was found along Watkins's entry route to the apartment. On June 24, Watkins left his apartment several times, carrying garbage bags and other bags.

Watkins was arrested on July 2 around 7:15 p.m. Officers say Watkins had a large cut on his hand that needed stitches and appeared to be healing.

Sharon police interviewed Watkins who allegedly told investigators that he met with a person on the Grindr app and arranged a meeting. The complaint says Watkins said he had sexual contact with the person at a location on E Broadway Avenue. When asked by police, he originally denied meeting at the Canoe Launch but later claimed his car could have pulled into the area.''

 

[dotr]

 

[iamshadow21]

Sleep well, Pauly.

 

[Snoopster]

only 14 years old.
I'm so sorry this happened to you Pauly. :-(

 

[bombardier]

'An absolute monster': Man killed and dismembered 14-year-old with electric saw, police say

DaShawn Watkins is accused of killing and dismembering a 14-year-old in Pennsylvania using an electric saw then dumping the remains in multiple areas of a lake.

lawandcrime.com

View attachment 516083
'The Sharon Herald reported that additional remains continued to be recovered from multiple different areas around the lake for a week following the initial discovery. State police investigators on June 27, were reportedly observed using an underwater drone''

Dismembered remains found at Shenango River Reservoir identified as missing Sharon teen; Suspect arrested

Based upon the forensic autopsy and studies performed, the cause of death was determined to be sharp force trauma to the head and was ruled homicide.

www.wfmj.com

''According to the release, Watkins returns to the apartment complex and struggles to carry a large duffel bag. The criminal complaint says suspected blood was found along Watkins's entry route to the apartment. On June 24, Watkins left his apartment several times, carrying garbage bags and other bags.

Watkins was arrested on July 2 around 7:15 p.m. Officers say Watkins had a large cut on his hand that needed stitches and appeared to be healing.

Sharon police interviewed Watkins who allegedly told investigators that he met with a person on the Grindr app and arranged a meeting. The complaint says Watkins said he had sexual contact with the person at a location on E Broadway Avenue. When asked by police, he originally denied meeting at the Canoe Launch but later claimed his car could have pulled into the area.''

idk about his story, sounds like a lot is being left out. of course, its not unheard of for 14 year olds to be interested in sex and sneaking around on dating apps, but are usually looking for fellow young ppl, not a 29 y/o! when i was 14, i thought ppl in their 30s were ancient. if the meeting was planned, i wonder if Watkins was catfishing on grindr as a young guy.

 

[TTF14]

idk about his story, sounds like a lot is being left out. of course, its not unheard of for 14 year olds to be interested in sex and sneaking around on dating apps, but are usually looking for fellow young ppl, not a 29 y/o! when i was 14, i thought ppl in their 30s were ancient. if the meeting was planned, i wonder if Watkins was catfishing on grindr as a young guy.

I'm also wondering why a trans girl would be on Grindr. Isn't Grindr for men? Or is it all sexes, including trans?

 

[bombardier]

I'm also wondering why a trans girl would be on Grindr. Isn't Grindr for men? Or is it all sexes, including trans?

its primarily for gay men but when ive seen it (on my friends phones, im a woman) there are other sexual minorities who use it like trans men, trans women, who are looking for men or other trans ppl. you really dont see cis women using it very often, there are other apps primarily for lesbians. which is why i dont think a ''gay panic'' defense i.e. "i thought she was a underage cis girl and i got so mad when i saw she was trans!!'' would ever work here.

 

[TTF14]

its primarily for gay men but when ive seen it (on my friends phones, im a woman) there are other sexual minorities who use it like trans men, trans women, who are looking for men or other trans ppl. you really dont see cis women using it very often, there are other apps primarily for lesbians. which is why i dont think a ''gay panic'' defense i.e. "i thought she was a underage cis girl and i got so mad when i saw she was trans!!'' would ever work here.

OK, gotcha. Makes sense.

 

[Inthedetails]

Noooooooooooo. This is simply awful.

 

[notafighter]

Grindr is a gay dating/hookup app but trans people do frequent it to my knowledge. Plenty of closeted men who are interested in "shemales" and other queer subcultures pertaining to trans women as well. The app has a pretty bad rep of underage LGBTQ+ youth using the app to explore their sexualities and being sexually abused (https://www.npr.org/2021/08/03/1024...-dating-app-poses-exploitation-risk-to-minors) and just a google search of "Grindr murder" renders numerous different cases. I can't say I've seen someone this young get so brutally killed like this. I'm curious about the hate crime aspect Pauly's mother referred to. Could this be a Blaze Bernstein situation where she was lured solely for the intent of harm? This is all so upsetting. This poor child had so much life to live. Rest In Peace Pauly, yesterday would have been her 15th birthday

 

[dotr]

Family and advocates seek hate crime charges in murder of Mercer County transgender teen

The family of a transgender Mercer County teen is seeking hate crime charges against the man accused of killing her. Dashawn Watkins, 29, of Sharon, was...

www.post-gazette.com

''According to data from Pennsylvania Youth Congress, Pauly was the 20th and the youngest transgender or gender-expansive person killed in Pennsylvania within the past decade.

"Pauly's death has increased fear and panic among local LGBTQ community members and their families, including parents of transgender children," Ms. Ladner said. "All the transgender Pennsylvanians who have been murdered before deserved to live full lives and were stripped of that opportunity."

First Published: July 6, 2024

 

[dotr]

https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/sharon-news/remains-found-in-wildlife-area-identified-as-missing-teen-man-charged/

''A criminal complaint filed July 3 in the case shows Likens’ family left town on June 22 and that the teen was to be staying at an unknown friend’s house. Likens’ father said he last spoke to the teen on June 22.

A friend of Likens told police that the teen was at her house until about 9:30 pm. on June 22 and left to walk home, but at about 2:30 a.m. on June 23, Likens posted an image on Snapchat of a dark roadway and talking about a late-night walk. The friend said she sent Likens a message asking if the teen was OK, to which Likens responded yes but did not respond to any further conversation initiated by the friend, and police said that all cellular communication with Likens ended in the early morning hours of June 23.''

July 8 2024 lengthy article.

'It hit the panic alarm': Transgender teen's killing in northwest Pa. dismays LGBTQ+ group

Pauly A. Likens Jr., 14, a transgender female, was murdered and dismembered in Mercer County, state police said in making arrest in case.

www.goerie.com

• ''Report of a missing person and discovery of human remains in late June led to probe in death of 14-year-old Sharon resident Pauly A. Likens Jr.
• State police have charged a 29-year-old Sharon resident in the killing of victim, whom defendant is alleged to have met via Grindr app
• Pauly was a transgender female, says Shenango Valley LGBTQIA+ Alliance, which is supporting Pauly's family

''SHARON, Pa. — On June 1, at the start of Pride Month, the Shenango Valley LGBTQIA+ Alliance moved into its own office space in Sharon after three years of running its support groups out of different locations.''
Among the allegations is that Watkins killed Pauly after the two met via Grindr, the popular LGBTQ dating app, according to arrest records. Pauly's cut-up remains were found scattered around the area of Shenango River Lake in Mercer County starting on June 25.''

 

[Vail]

Dating apps like Grindr and Tindr need age verification or person checks. I'm not saying he wouldn't have murdered her regardless, but it would have kept her from this encounter, and hundreds more people from being lured, hurt or killed by predators, many of which have a record.

That said, the sensitivity demonstrated by the huffpost journalist is a welcome progression in reporting crimes against transgender people where the media is concerned

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Pauly lit up every room she entered, always making people smile and passing around her contagious laughter. Pauly was a selfless person, never missing a chance to help others and give what she could. Even as a young child, she donated her spare change to the veterans' stand outside Walmart. Pauly loved all of her pets, all of her friends' pets, and just about any animal she saw. A sassy kid, Pauly loved to give her family a hard time, cracking jokes and loving every moment with her family. Shopping with her Aunt Liz fueled her bougie lifestyle, never missing a chance to get some new fashion pieces or get her nails done. Pauly loved her games, playing Fortnite and Roblox with her friends. Pauly liked to keep up with the current music scene, listening to anything that caught her ear.

A vigil in Pauly's honor is planned for Saturday night. It's at the LGBTQ+ Alliance of Shenango Valley at 7 p.m.

Pennsylvania community still shaken after learning of killing, dismemberment of missing transgender 14-year-old

"It's still a tragedy at the end of the day. I don't think anyone is ever going to be okay."

www.cbsnews.com