{{short description|2014 killing in Belize}} {{use sfn|date=November 2025}} <!-- if needed; to bar <ref>...</ref> use; use efn-lr for lead, sfn for short citations, refn| for bundle, refn|group=n for explanatory footnotes --> {{use ldr|date=November 2025}} <!-- if needed; to bar inline full cites --> {{dmy|date=November 2025}} {{Infobox event | title = <!-- Title to display, if other than page name --> | image = Cenida Ramos.jpg | image_upright = | image_alt = Close-up portrait of Cenida Ramos | caption = Close-up of Cenida Ramos | native_name = | native_name_lang = | english_name = | map = | mapframe = yes<!-- See #Mapframe maps for more information --> | mapframe-zoom = 16 | time = ca 1:30 am CT | timezone = | duration = <!-- {{duration|h=x|m=x|s=x}} or {{time interval|date1|date2|options}} --> | date = {{start date|2014|01|12|df=y}} | venue = | location = Elston Kerr Street, Belize City, Belize | coordinates = {{coord|17.49549|-88.20045|region:BZ_type:event|display=inline, title}} | also_known_as = | type = Homicide (official), hate crime (possible), crime of passion (possible) | theme = | cause = | motive = Armed robbery (official), transphobia (possible) | target = | perpetrator = | first_reporter = | budget = | patron = <!-- or | patrons = --> | organisers = <!-- or | organizers = --> | filmed_by = | participants = | outcome = | casualties1 = | casualties2 = | casualties3 = | reported deaths = 1 | reported injuries = | reported missing = | reported property damage = | burial = | displaced = | inquiries = | inquest = | coroner = | arrests = 0 | suspects = 2 cyclists | accused = | convicted = 0 | charges = | trial = | verdict = | convictions = | sentence = | publication_bans = | litigation = | awards = | url = | notes = }} At about 1:30 am CT on 12 January 2014, two unknown male suspects on bicycles allegedly stabbed and killed '''Cenida Ramos''',{{efn-lr|Some sources refer to Ramos by her deadname, ''Joseph Sanchez'', claim she called herself ''Prince Joe'', use he/him pronouns for her, or label her a crossdresser or drag queen (rather than a transgender woman). Both UNIBAM and Belize Trans Colours (local LGBTQ rights organisations) label her a transgender woman, referring to her by her chosen name of ''Cenida Ramos'' (in {{harvnb|United Belize Advocacy Movement 2015a}}; {{harvnb|Belize Trans Colours 2023|p=6}}).}} an 18-year-old transgender woman, on Elston Kerr Street in Southside, Belize City, Belize. Police, investigating the crime as a murder, claimed the motive was armed robbery, but family and LGBTQ rights organisations disputed this, alleging it had been a hate crime. Ramos is thought to be first openly transgender individual murdered in Belize. As of 2023, the case remained unsolved.

== Background == Belize is a particularly hostile place for members of its LGBTQ community, and especially for transgender individuals, who face severe transphobia in nearly all aspects of their lives.<!--cite?--> Cenida Ramos, an openly transgender eighteen year old, for instance, would often brave verbal and even physical harassment while out and about.{{refn|group=n|{{harvnb|''7 News'' 2014c}}. According to her brother, "when she walked on the street, boys would tell her things, but she wouldn't pay them any mind, she'd just continue straight forward [nonetheless] she attracted a lot of enemies, either way, they just hated on her, [but] she didn't mess with anyone" {{harv|''7 News'' 2014c}}. Her brother admitted he used to "beat [Ramos] to force her to stop wearing women's clothes" until he eventually desisted "because that apparently was what [Ramos] wanted" {{harv|''Amandala'' 2014b}}. Her brother noted that "on many occasions" he had to intervene to protect Ramos from people who intended to physically assault her {{harv|''Amandala'' 2014b}}. Ramos had reportedly quit school "because of numerous death threats and the constant hate she endured" there {{harv|''Twocanview'' 2014}}.}}

== Killing == Eighteen-year-old Cenida Ramos headed out of her house (on Laura Dunn Street<!--Cres? 5 c, Am b-->) on foot at about 1:00 am CT on 12 January 2014, after having received a phone call, ostensibly inviting her to a party.{{refn|group=n|{{harvnb|''7 News'' 2014c}}; {{harvnb|''News 5'' 2014c}}; {{harvnb|''Amandala'' 2014b}}. According to her brother, Abner Sanchez, this was unusual, as Ramos "was always picked up<!--7 c-->" rather than walking about on foot ({{harvnb|''7 News'' 2014c}}; {{harvnb|''News 5'' 2014c}}). Ramos's mother, Virignia Arzu, did not express such concerns, having spoken to Ramos just before she headed out {{harv|''News 5'' 2014c}}.}} At circa 1:50 am<!--7 c, 5 c, 7 b, Am b; but also 2:47 in 7 c-->, police came across her lifeless body, sprawled face down<!--7 b--> on the sidewalk of Elston Kerr Street in Southside, Belize City, with two<!--two in 5 c; but one in 7 b, Am b--> fatal stab wounds to the chest.{{refn|{{harvnb|''7 News'' 2014c}}; {{harvnb|''News 5'' 2014c}}; {{harvnb|''7 News'' 2014b}}.}} CCTV footage<!--5 c--> showed Ramos pacing up and down<!--heading to taxi stand in Am b--> the street near Lord's Ridge Cemetery<!--7 c--> and Gwen Lizarraga High School<!--5 c--> when two male suspects on bicycles rode up and seemingly tried to rob her at about 1:30 am.{{refn|{{harvnb|''7 News'' 2014c}}; {{harvnb|''News 5'' 2014c}}.}} Ramos is seen putting up a fight<!--no fight in 7 b-->, after which one assailant stabs her in the chest with a butcher knife, whereupon Ramos runs from them and collapses a short distance away, while the alleged robbers make their escape.{{refn|{{harvnb|''7 News'' 2014c}}; {{harvnb|''Amandala'' 2014b}}.}} Ramos was pronounced dead on arrival at Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital at 2:47 am<!--Am b-->.{{refn|{{harvnb|''7 News'' 2014b}}; {{harvnb|''Amandala'' 2014b}}.}}

== Aftermath == Family believed Ramos had been lured to her death, given the phone call she had received before heading out, and given that (according to friends) she had been receiving death threats for the past week from a former dating prospect<!--5 c-->.{{refn|group=n|{{harvnb|''7 News'' 2014c}}; {{harvnb|''News 5'' 2014c}}; {{harvnb|''Amandala'' 2014b}}. Ramos's brother noted, "from what I heard from her friends, the person she'd been going out with hadn't known she was [transgender ...] so it looks like when the person found out that she was, he started sending her death threats" {{harv|''News 5'' 2014c}}. Ramos's brother deemed it a crime of passion, but her mother concurred with a ''News 5'' reporter who asked, "do you think it is because of her lifestyle that she was killed?" {{harv|''News 5'' 2014c}}. Both disputed police's theory of robbery, noting Ramos's mobile phone and cash had not been stolen {{harv|''Amandala'' 2014b}}. Both are quoted by ''Amandala'' as claiming Ramos was killed "simply because she liked to dress as a woman<!--Am b-->" {{harv|''Amandala'' 2014b}}.}} UNIBAM, a local LGBTQ rights organisation, noted it may have been a hate crime, given Ramos had been "a popular and flamboyant member of the local LGBTQ community<!--7 c-->".{{refn|{{harvnb|''7 News'' 2014c}}; {{harvnb|''News 5'' 2014d}}; {{harvnb|''News 5'' 2014b}}; {{harvnb|United Belize Advocacy Movement 2014b}}.}} Police believed the motive had simply been attempted robbery, but were investigating the crime as a murder<!--5 b-->.{{refn|{{harvnb|''News 5'' 2014c}}; {{harvnb|''7 News'' 2014b}}; {{harvnb|''News 5'' 2014b}}.}} As of June 2023, the case remained unsolved.{{sfn|Belize Trans Colours 2023|p=6}}

Ramos's killing is thought to be the first instance in the country of an openly transgender individual being murdered.{{refn|{{harvnb|''News 5'' 2014c<!--called "crossdresser"-->}}; {{harvnb|''7 News'' 2014b<!--described as crossdresser or drag queen-->}}; {{harvnb|''News 5'' 2014b<!--called "crossdresser"-->}}.}} UNIBAM condemned the crime as a "vicious, senseless and inhumane killing<!--AT-->", noting that "when there are no laws to protect or even acknowledge the existence of a subset of our population [transgender people], this kind of crime can easily occur with little justice<!--5 d-->".{{refn|{{harvnb|''News 5'' 2014d}}; {{harvnb|Ambergris ''Today'' 2014}}; {{harvnb|''West Vision'' 2014}}.}} They urged the public to "refuse to allow this heinous crime to go silent," asking them to "talk about it and how we don't want to live in a Belize where someone can be murdered for the kind of clothes they wear".{{sfn|''West Vision'' 2014}} Aria Lightfoot, a local commentator<!--cite?-->, similarly denounced the murder, further excoriating members of the public who blamed Ramos for her death.{{sfn|''Twocanview'' 2014}} Jen Psaki (US State) also condemned the "brutal killing", noting "no one should be subjected to violence because of who they are or who they love".{{refn|group=n|{{harvnb|US State Department 2014}}; {{harvnb|''News 5'' 2014a}}. ''7 News'' noted this was the first time a Belizean murder had prompted a statement by the US State Department {{harv|''7 News'' 2014a}}.}} In April 2014, UNIBAM cited Ramos at the IACHR as proof of the urgent need for hate crime legislation in Belize,{{sfn|''Amandala'' 2014a}} and commemorated her for IDAHOT 2015.{{sfn|United Belize Advocacy Movement 2015a}} In their 2023 submission for the fourth UPR for Belize, Belize Trans Colours noted police still had "no enforceable internal policy to deal with trans victims of violence", pointing out that Ramos's case still remained unresolved.{{sfn|Belize Trans Colours 2023|p=6}}

== See also == {{Portal|LGBTQ}} * LGBTQ rights in Belize * Violence against LGBTQ people in Belize * LGBTQ youth vulnerability * List of people killed for being transgender * Dwayne Jones – 2013 LGBTQ murder victim in Jamaica

== Notes and references == === Notes === {{notelist-lr}} {{reflist|group=n}} {{reflist}} === References === {{refbegin|30em}} <!-- vauthors/veditors for easier listing, ref={{sfnref| for easier citing --> # {{cite news |date=2014-01-13 |title=UNIBAM president says murder was a hate crime |url=https://archive.channel5belize.com/archives/94280 |work=News 5 |ref={{sfnref|''News 5'' 2014d}} <!--prev: 5 d--> }} # {{cite news |date=2014-01-13 |title=3 murders in the City: Cross-dresser killed on Elston Kerr Street |url=https://archive.channel5belize.com/archives/94282 |work=News 5 |ref={{sfnref|''News 5'' 2014c}} <!--prev: 5 c--> }} # {{cite news |date=2014-01-13 |title=18 year old transgender youth killed, was it a hate crime? |url=https://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=27568 |work=7 News |ref={{sfnref|''7 News'' 2014c}} <!--prev: 7 c--> }} # {{cite news |date=2014-01-14 |title=Police say cross dresser 'Prince Joe' was robbed |url=https://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=27585 |work=7 News |ref={{sfnref|''7 News'' 2014b}} <!--prev: 7 b--> }} # {{cite news |date=2014-01-14 |title=Cross-dresser stabbed dead |url=https://amandala.com.bz/news/cross-dresser-stabbed-dead/ |work=Amandala |ref={{sfnref|''Amandala'' 2014b}} <!--prev: Am b--> }} # {{cite news |date=2014-01-14 |title=UNIBAM denounces hate crime in Belize |url=https://ambergristoday.com/letters-to-the-editor/2014/01/14/unibam-denounces-hate-crime-in-belize/ |work=Ambergris Today |ref={{sfnref|Ambergris ''Today'' 2014}} <!--prev: AT--> }} # {{cite news |date=2014-01-14 |title=UNIBAM statement on alleged 'hate crime' |url=https://www.westvision.bz/unibam-statement-on-alleged-hate-crime/ |work=West Vision |ref={{sfnref|''West Vision'' 2014}} <!--prev: W--> }} # {{cite news |date=2014-01-14 |title=A look at the possible motive for Joseph Sanchez’s murder |url=https://archive.channel5belize.com/archives/94348 |work=News 5 |ref={{sfnref|''News 5'' 2014b}} <!--prev: 5 b--> }} # {{cite web |date=2014-01-14 |title=Hate crime vs hate incident and Joseph Sanchez |url=https://unibam.org/2014/01/15/hate-crime-vs-hate-incident-and-josep/ |work=UNIBAM |ref={{sfnref|United Belize Advocacy Movement 2014b}} <!--prev: U b--> }} # {{cite web |date=2014-01-15 |title=Gay teen murdered in Belize |url=https://twocanview.com/tag/gay-teen-murdered-in-belize/ |work=Twocanview |ref={{sfnref|''Twocanview'' 2014}} <!--prev: T--> }} # {{cite press release |date=2014-01-16 |title=Killing of Joseph Sanchez, an LGBT Teenager in Belize |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/01/219937.htm |agency=US State |ref={{sfnref|US State Department 2014}} <!--prev: S--> }} # {{cite news |date=2014-01-17 |title=U.S. issues a statement on the murder of cross-dresser, Joseph Sanchez |url=https://archive.channel5belize.com/archives/94496 |work=News 5 |ref={{sfnref|''News 5'' 2014a}} <!--prev: 5 a--> }} # {{cite news |date=2014-01-14 |title=US State Department shows respect to 'Prince Joe' |url=https://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=27628 |work=7 News |ref={{sfnref|''7 News'' 2014a}} <!--prev: 7 a--> }} # {{cite news |date=2014-04-04 |title=UNIBAM challenges Belize at OAS human rights commission hearing |url=https://amandala.com.bz/news/unibam-challenges-belize-oas-human-rights-commission-hearing/ |work=Amandala |ref={{sfnref|''Amandala'' 2014a}} <!--prev: Am a--> }} <!-- # {{cite news |date=2014-01-14 |title= |url= |work= |ref={{sfnref|}} }} --> # {{cite web |date=2015-05-17 |title=Belize IDAHOT 2015: LGBT youth, social complications, quiet resistance |url=https://unibam.org/2015/05/18/belize-idahot-2015-lgbt-youth-socia/ |work=UNIBAM |ref={{sfnref|United Belize Advocacy Movement 2015a}} <!--prev: U a--> }} # {{cite report |date=2023-07-29 |title=BTC Submission to the UN UPR for Belize |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/upr/bz-stakeholders-info-s45 |ref={{sfnref|Belize Trans Colours 2023}} <!--prev: B--> }} {{refend}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramos, Cenida, killing of}} Category:2014 murders in North America Category:Unsolved murders in Belize Category:2014 in Belize Category:21st-century Belizean LGBTQ people Category:Violence against LGBTQ people in North America Category:Victims of anti-LGBTQ hate crimes Category:Violence against trans women Category:LGBTQ rights in Belize Category:Transgender female murder victims Category:Transgender murder victims