Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

In a horrifying act, an 18-year-old trans and queer teen was shot to death by their own father. Their name was Onyx Cornish. This took place in Caldwell, Idaho on Tuesday, August 19, 2025.

The Crime

PEOPLE magazine published details from the probably cause affidavit. This is hard to read. I have modified to correct the pronouns.

Per the affidavit, which PEOPLE reviewed, Delbert allegedly began planning last year to kill himself and his three children, but the plan was thwarted when his eldest child violated parole and was sent back to prison a few months ago.

He told police he was tired of his children being bullied and “belittled” by his brother, with whom he, Onyx and his teen son lived. He further alleged his brother would bully the children with names such as “pedophile” and “loser,” the affidavit states.

On Tuesday morning, he walked up to Onyx’s door and was startled when [they] unexpectedly opened the door, Delbert told police, per the affidavit. He allegedly shot [them] in the head and watched for 20 minutes as [they] gasped for breath.

Onyx died in their home, wrapped in a Pride flag by their father as an honor. Disgusting. Queer and trans kids are not better off dead. There is no honor in any of this, just a complete parental failure.

Honoring Onyx

Onyx had a profile on Instagram where they used the pronouns he/they/she. Friends reportedly use they so that’s what I’ve opted to do.

I found this information through a powerful post written by Eli Cugini on Medium.

It’s striking, then, that even as a teenager in a conservative context, they asserted themselves firmly enough that their queerness and genderqueerness has been impossible to erase after their death. It has been widely reported that they went by Onyx, even as this has been treated in practice as an extension of their alt style. Most revealingly, and bleakly, their father is stated to have wrapped them in a pride flag after killing them. (A rainbow flag is visible on their wall in some reels.)

And this lovely remembrance of who Onyx was beyond the story of their death.

Onyx loved heavy metal, alt fashion and makeup, and their friends, who they described as getting them through rough periods in their life, including a period of some time in which they were kicked out of the house. They loved their cat, Sami, who was sadly also shot and killed after their own murder. They enjoyed showing off their makeup looks online and described themselves as both pretty and handsome. They celebrated getting sober in 2024. Their last available Instagram story is from three weeks ago, where they were celebrating one of their closest friends’ birthdays at a picnic. All the attendees wore flower garlands on their heads. They looked happy.

I could not write a better description of this lovely young person who left a permanent record of their life via Instagram. As I had flipped through this Insta, I saw some of these same themes and images. Eli Cugini did a beautiful job honoring their life and acknowledging their death.

The Context

Onyx is the 16th trans person whose death has been reported in 2025. They are the fourth white person from those 16 reported deaths. Onyx was 18 whey they were killed, the youngest reported death so far in 2025. I am not quite sure how Onyx identified, but I presume nonbinary or gender nonconforming in broad strokes. If anyone can help clarify, please reach out to me. Onyx is also the 7th trans youth I’ve identified who was killed by a parent in the past decade.

There’s a special type of horror when parents murder their own children – filicide. Even more so when the parent takes this action to ‘protect’ or ‘save’ the children from a disability or illness or a perceived external threat.

In my 12 years of writing memorial posts, I’ve most often encountered domestic violence and some intra-family violence. But I have blogged about filicide, stories that linger in my heart. They include:

• In 2022, 17-year-old Morgan Moore, a Black disabled trans masc teen was killed by his parents through neglect, starvation, and denial of medical care.
• Also in 2022, a 19-year-old autistic Asian-American trans feme teen, Kathryn Newhouse was shot to death by her father in Canton, Georgia. Her father then died by suicide using the same gun.
• In 2015, a 22-year-old gender nonconforming young adult, Bri Golec, was fatally stabbed to death by their father in his home.
• In 2016, trans woman Rae’Lynn Thomas, 28, of Columbus, Ohio was shot to death by her mother’s boyfriend who had raised her.
• In 2021, a 16-year-old trans masc teen, JJ Bright, and his 22-year-old nonbinary sibling, Jasmine Cannady were shot to death by their mother in the family home. This was near my home of Pittsburgh in Ambridge, Beaver County.

I am sure there are more. One story I covered from 2015 was on the death of a queer Black couple, Britney Cosby and Crystal Jackson who were both shot to death by Britney’s father. It remains an enduring post a decade later. They are not forgotten, but frozen in time at the moments of their deaths. Crystal’s daughter and Britney’s step-daughter is now 15, living more years without her parents than with them.

Another common reality is the choices by media and law enforcement to erase trans and queer identities, mainly by deadnaming and misgendering. Onyx is no exception, but another powerful example of a person whose friends (and sometimes family) will push back against this misrepresentation of their loved one. It is what I describe as the additional task in the grieving process – calling media, contacting law enforcement, monitoring online discussions – an exhausting and sad chore, but one that often does work.

My work in 2024 showed that 50% of the victims whose deaths were reported that year were 25 and under. As of this date, the number for 2025 is 38%. I know there are at least 14 additional deaths that have not yet been memorialized – some will be in this age group. While the killings at any age, in addition to the other deaths that I do not report, are horrible, the disproportionate impact on our youth now is sobering and terrifying.

My thanks to Eli Cugini for crafting a thoughtful, detailed profile of Onyx.

Rest in power, Onyx. You brought love and respect to your friends who grieve your death deeply. Your resilience, defiance of those who tried to stifle your identity, and your passion for music and your capacity to understand gender identity in nuances most adults lack – these are gifts you brought into your world. It was our responsibility to keep you safe. Now we must ensure justice in your name and work harder to protect other trans and queer youth. Lifting up your true identity is one step.

May your memory be a revolution.

Deaths reported in 2025

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1. Tahiry ‘Tokyo’ Broom – February 9, 2025. Detroit, Michigan. Age 29.
2. Sam Nordquist – February 2025. Canandaigua, New York. Age 24.
3. Amyri Dior – February 21, 2025. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Age 23.
4. Ervianna ‘Baydee’ Johnsonn – February 19, 2025. Tabor City, North Carolina. Age 25.
5. Linda Becerra Moran – February 27, 2025. Los Angeles, California. Age 30.
6. Kaitoria ‘Kai’ Le’Cynthia Bankz – March 31, 2025. Autaugaville, Alabama. Age 31.
7. Kelsey Elem – April 24, 2025. St. Louis, Missouri. Age 25.
8. Shy’Parius Dupree – May 19, 2025. Memphis, Tennessee. Age 32.
9. Laura Schueler – June 7, 2025. Cincinnati, Ohio. Age 47.
10. Hope Lyca Youngblood – June 7, 2025, Los Angeles, California. Age 49.
11. JJ Godbey – June 19, 2025, Canton, Ohio. Age 26.
12. Rosa Martinez Machuca – August 11, 2025, Austin, Texas. Age 24.
13. Kamora Woods – June 25, 2025, Indianapolis, Indiana. Age 27.
14. Kasi Rhea – August 18, 2025, Lynchburg, Virginia. Age 31.
15. Blair Sawyer – August 11, 2025, Louisville, Kentucky. Age 27.
16. Onyx Cornish – August 19, 2025. Caldwell, Idaho. Age 18.

Other deaths I’ve reported during 2025

• Elisa Rae Shupe – January 27, 2025. Syracuse, New York. Age 61.
• Chilendrina Gracia Dominguez – January 18, 2021. Reported February 2025. Albuquerque, New Mexico. Age 42.
• Amira O’Neill – July 6, 2023. Ann Arbor, Michigan. Age 44.
• Jay Lee – July 8, 2022. Oxford, Mississippi. Age 20.
• Ezra Hulett – June 23, 2025. Dominican Republic. Age 24.
• Blair Lumpkins Crabb – January 2025. California. Age 31.