Trump's trial transgender ban has blocked a lot of other news of the transgender community from view lately.

In southern Mississippi former navy sailor Dwanya Hickerson pleaded guilty to murdering Dee Whigham, a transgender nurse, in order to avoid the death penalty.

Hickerson stabbed Whigham 119 times, mostly to her face and throat. Her throat was slashed three times. After murdering the victim, Hickerson took a shower before leaving the room.

Hickerson was training at Keesler AFB to become a weather forecaster. He chatted with Whigham online before deciding to meet with her as she was visiting Biloxi with friends. He says he lost it when Whigham told him she was transgender.

Hickerson was sentenced to 40 years for the murder and 15 years for a robbery charge.

In Germantown, Maryland, Rico LeBlond was convicted of first degree murder in the killing of Zella Ziona, a 21-year-old transgender woman in a mall back-alley. The two had been friends in school, but Ziona flirting at LeBlond embarrassed him in front of his crew. So LeBlond was forced to lure her into the alley and shoot her multiple times.

LeBlond will be sentenced in October. He faces life in prison.

A man accused of killing and then burning a transgender woman near Cornell University this year will not face hate crime charges according District Attorney Matthew Van Houten. Michael A Davis will be charged with first degree murder and first degree arson in the death of Josie Berrios.

While it is inappropriate to comment on the specifics of the evidence in an ongoing case, the investigation has revealed no proof establishing the criteria for charging the defendant with a hate crime as defined by the Penal Law.

--DA's office