Monique Thomas (March 30, 1963 – September 11, 1998) was a Black
transgender
A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth.
The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...
woman who resided in
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood comprising more than in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Originally, Dorchester was a separate town, founded by Puritans who emigrated in 1630 from Dorchester, Dorset, E ...
. Her death, along with the murders of other Black transgender women in Boston, such as
Rita Hester
Rita Hester (22 March 1964 – 28 November 1998) was a transgender African American woman who was murdered in Allston (Boston), Massachusetts, on November 28, 1998.
Hester was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1964. She moved to Boston in ...
Monique Thomas spent her childhood in Massachusetts, graduating from Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Roxbury. Following this, she attended the
Northeastern University
Northeastern University (NU or NEU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by the Boston Young Men's Christian Association in 1898 as an all-male instit ...
Dental Assistants Program under her given name Rufus Thomas (which she is almost exclusively referred to as in public and media records) and graduated at age 19. At the time of her death, she was living in Dorchester, MA.
Murder
Monique Thomas was murdered at age 35 by George Stallings, and her body was found in her apartment a week after her death, at 8 pm on September 11, 1998, by Boston Police. Her jewelry, credit cards, and car were stolen after her death. Thomas's car was found September 23, 1998, in
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...
which led to Stallings' arrest.
Trial
Stallings pleaded guilty to
second-degree murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excus ...
on June 6, 2000. He was
sentenced to life
Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life imprisonment are co ...
, with the possibility of
parole
Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...
. As of 2019, Stallings' petition for parole was denied.
As of 2024 George Stallings was released on parole. He currently resides in a residential facility in Lowell, MA.
Legacy
Monique Thomas's death was one of three such murders that began a recognition of the danger transgender individuals face internationally. Her murder was discussed alongside the murders of Rita Hester and
Chanelle Pickett
Chanelle Pickett (August 6, 1972 – November 20, 1995) was a Black transgender woman that led to the creation of International Transgender Day of Remembrance. Although Monique's death was not mentioned often during the initial creation of the day, she is now frequently mentioned in articles that discuss the ongoing impact and observance of Transgender Day of Remembrance.