Rosa Machuca: Fiancée of murdered trans woman slams police for deadnaming her

The fiancée of a trans woman killed in a triple homicide has criticised a police precinct for deadnaming her.

Rosa Machuca was found dead in a parking lot in Austin, Texas, after a shooting at a local Target where she reportedly worked. She was just 24.

Officers responding to the shooting on Monday (11 August) reportedly found Machuca with several gunshot wounds, as well as the body of an elderly man and a four-year-old child, at the Target off Ohlen Road, Austin.

The following day, the Austin Police Department released names and photos of the deceased, but reportedly used Rosa’s deadname – a term used to refer to a trans person’s name pre-transition.

Machuca’s fiancée, Kim Dang, told local outlet KXAN she was “very hurt” by seeing her partner’s deadname used by the police.

“I knew she never wanted to be recognised as her deadname,” she said. “I never wanted them to be remembered as their deadname. I want them to be remembered for who they really, truly want to be.”

Dang, who had reportedly been in an 11-year relationship with Machuca since high school, said her partner came out as trans in 2022 and had been using her chosen name for several years.

She said Rosa had been reluctant to change her legal name given the anti-trans climate in Texas – one of the most anti-LBGTQ+ states in the US – and was “waiting for the right moment.”

The Austin Police Department recognised its mistake in a social media post on Wednesday, saying it had “come to the attention” of officials that they had used the wrong name.

“In the interest of respecting all who knew and loved them, including their immediate family, we believe it is important to honour and acknowledge them as they lived their life,” a spokesperson wrote.

Police have reportedly arrested a 32-year-old man, Ethan Neineker, in connection with the incident.

Investigating officers said on Tuesday afternoon that Neineker has been charged with First-Degree Felony Murder of Rosa, as well as two counts of Capital murder of a 4-year-old girl and her grandfather.

Speaking about her fiancée, Kim Dang said Rosa was “always so helpful and kind with everyone” at work and in her personal life.

“The very least we can do is call her by her name and make sure everyone else does, regardless of her legal name,” she said.