Trans 21-year-old Juju Nadeau remembered as ‘angel’ after fatal stabbing
Juju Nadeau (GoFundMe)
Juju Nadeau was 21 years old, an avid urban explorer, a devoted partner and a person her loved ones say had an extraordinary ability to bring people together.
On the evening of 5 August, Nadeau was walking with friends along Back Cove Trail in Portland, Maine, heading toward one of her favourite graffiti spots beneath Tukey’s Bridge. According to court documents obtained by The Portland Press Herald, a man on a bicycle allegedly approached the group while wielding a knife. Police identified the man as 58-year-old Glen Rodney.
The documents allege that Rodney chased Nadeau and her friends before fatally stabbing Nadeau in the chest. According to a GoFundMe, Nadeau’s friend Liz McGehee, who was with the group, reportedly attempted to pull the attacker away and called 911. Nadeau later passed away at Maine Medical Center.
In the aftermath, some initial media coverage misgendered and deadnamed Nadeau, as Them reports.
Her partner of two years, Kasper DeWitt, described Nadeau as “the most loving person” and “an angel sent here to make things better”.
“She was divine,” DeWitt told Them in a 12 August interview.
Nadeau found joy through her communities. She and DeWitt bonded through furry spaces, attending conventions throughout New England and making friends wherever they went. One of her favourite places was Anthrocon in Pittsburgh, where she would often spend more time by the waterfront than inside the convention itself.
“She just wanted to be at the waterfront all day,” DeWitt recalled.
Friends remember Nadeau as someone who could make an impression even after meeting someone only once. She danced, partied, explored and embraced the communities that made her feel at home.
“She experienced socially more than a lot of people ever will in their life,” DeWitt said. “It’s horrible because she would have had the chance to live 10 times that much.”
Nadeau’s death has left her loved ones facing not only grief but the practical aftermath of losing someone so young. DeWitt had planned to propose to her at next year’s Anthrocon. Instead, they are now looking for ways to carry her memory forward.
Her family described Nadeau as “kind, compassionate, vibrant” and “spirited”, adding that she had “a whole life ahead of her”.
Her loved ones say they keep encountering little reminders of her, such as the pink, green and white colours she loved. They joke that, if Nadeau were somehow sending messages from beyond, they could easily imagine those signs arriving in the form of some of the things she loved, like dogs or a McDonald’s Refresher.
DeWitt, who planned to propose to Nadeau soon according to the GoFundMe, said they intend to honour her in the way they believe she would have wanted: with community, celebration and a very big party.
“She was a massive party girl,” DeWitt said. “I know that she would have wanted me to throw literally the biggest party I’ve ever thrown ever for her—and that’s my plan.”
If you’ve been affected by this story, you can reach out to Mind on 0300 123 3393, Switchboard on 0800 0119 100 or the Samaritans on 116 123. Readers in the US can call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
