Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

On August 4, 2026, a 55-year-old transgender woman was beaten and strangled in her cell in Halawa, Hawaii. Denise Foster was sentenced to five years in prison on May 10, 2023. Denise was a trans woman, but was housed in a facility for men.

The Crime

Denise was imprisoned for a string of convictions dating back to 1992 for property crimes including theft, credit card fraud and forgery, but her defense lawyer Nelson Goo said Foster was never violent.

On May 10, inmate Jason Lee McCormick, 52, entered Foster’s cell at Hālawa Correctional Facility and attacked her

McCormick is a violent predator. He was incarcerated for the 1996 murder of University of Pittsburgh professor Robert Henderson was found in a room at the Ilikai Hotel in July 1996. In 2013, he was sentenced to life in prison for Henderson’s death. Later he pleaded guilty to premeditated first-degree murder in Arizona in the 2015 strangulation death of his then-cellmate Jonathan Namauleg, 21, at the Saguaro Correctional Center. That conviction carries a life sentence without parole to be served after McCormick’s life sentence for the Henderson murder. This reporting comes from Civil Beat.

Denise was taken to a nearby hospital for her critical injuries where she was later pronounced dead.

Her family is still waiting for more details.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s (ME) Office confirmed that the cause of death was due to blunt force injuries of the head and manual strangulation. Officials with the ME’s office also confirmed that her manner of death was homicide, according to Island News.

Honoring Denise

Denise was born on January 25, 1971, in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, the youngest of nine siblings. She lived in Waipahu prior to her incarceration.

Denise was a Native Hawaiin, of Indigenous ethnic and ancestral identity not simply a lifelong resident. Indigenous Hawaiians are part of the Kānaka Maoli people.

Denise also appears to have ties to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint. Her funeral and burial were organized by a church. Sadly she was misgendered and her assigned name was used. Much gratitude to Remebering Our Dead for keeping her identity and story alive. According to Civil Beat, she had legally changed her name.

While inside, Denise pursued higher education in counseling, and had secured a job at Goodwill for when she was due to be released next year. According to her family, Denise called the owner of Goodwill every Sunday.

Friends have set up a petition to support a thorough investigation into her killing.

According to her obituary, Denise will be with deep affection—as a beloved presence whose adventurous spirit and steady inspiration touched the lives around her, and whose humor brought lightness and warmth even in ordinary moments.

Context

Denise Johnson is the 30th person whose death we’ve memorialized in 2026. (see below)

She is the 24th trans woman, the 18th trans person of color, and the third person of Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) identity. Denise is the second trans person of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander heritage At the age of 55, Denise is the third oldest person on our list.

Note that we have documented the killing of three individuals (Leia Trysiss Ali, Jonathan McKinsey, and now Denise) from the broad identity of AAPI. Leia and Denise are from Polynesian ethnicities where Jonathan is of Taiwanese heritage – it is not known if he descends from any of the 16 Indigenous Taiwanese groups who share closer ties to AAPI neighbors. So I chose to use AAPI to better capture the breadth of marginalization and then Polynesian specifically for Leia and Denise. Leia identified as Fa’afafine.

The context of her death within the carceral system is horrific. Denise would be the sixth murder or suspected murder of a Hawaiʻi inmate since May of 2024. Denise is the second death we’ve reported of someone incarcerated – Peaches Croskey died in her cell in a jail in Birmingham.

Over at Honolulu Civil Beat, Keke Walker and Isis Patiño Fernandez Usborne take a deep dive into these issues that I won’t even try to summarize here. You should read their insight into their community and the industrial jail complex. It is both horrifying and necessary to look clearly at these “security” choices made in our name as the public.

I don’t typically dive into the criminal histories of victims, heeding the guidance of Monica Roberts. She created a media fail checklist to describe the state of media affairs reporting on antii-trans violence circa 2013. Misgendering deadnaming are still common place. Dredging up the victim’s criminal history for no actual reason was on her list.I noticed an tick upward this year. That’s disappointing, but not surprising.

Monica’s checklist is hauntingly accurate – criminal history, mug shot, deadnaming, and misgendering.

With Denise the context of the crimes is incredibly important. It just makes no sense that she was housed with this terrible predator. Nothing is accomplished except more violence. Denise has a plan, she had done the work, she was ready to reenter society and she was killed. So all of that beautiful potential is lost.

She did what was asked, using her time incarcerated to make changes in her life and prepare to return to society. Expecting to be safe and alive, protected from threats is any prisoner’s right. Acknowledgment of her gender identity and any necessary precautions are reasonable expectations. The failure of prison officials to take steps to keep her safe sends the message that even when you are a model prisoner, it is not enough.

Rest in power, Denise. Your family and friends mourn your loss. They are so proud of the work you did to prepare for the next phase of your life. Your death was senseless and terrible, but your life was so much more. You brought love, friendship, accountability, and determination into your world and ours.

May your memory be a revolution.

---

Deaths reported in 2026

These individuals are part of the trans community including transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, and gender creative folx. Please do not share this content without attribution. Thank you

1. Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-Mccray – Petersburg, Virginia. March 13, 2026. Age 42.
2. Davonta Curtis – Chicago, Illinois. April 5, 2026. Age 32.
3. Dannielle Spillman – San Francisco, California. April 16, 2026. Age 74.
4. Aleanna Royal Belcher – Binghamton, New York. April 17, 2026. Age 31.
5. Lucas Redbeard Knapp – Candy Kitchen, Cibola County, New Mexico, April 18, 2026. Age 39.
6. Hailey Singleton – Dunnellton, Florida, May 5, 2026. Age 29.
7. Lanessa Rodriguez – Ft Pierce, Florida, April 28, 2026. Age 35.
8. Jade Roberts – Houston, Texas, January 2, 2026. Age 25.
9. Paris Harris – Dallas, Texas, April 17, 2026. Age 21.
10. Eryka Caldwell – New York, New York, May 17, 2026. Age 41.
11. Nathaniel Potts – Eldorado, Illinois, May 20, 2026. Age 16.
12. Persia Amarra Conway – Houston, Texas. Date unconfirmed. Found on May 26, 2026. Age 33.
13. Juniper Blessing – Seattle, Washington. May 8, 2026. Age 19.
14. Marlow Trottie – Alexandria, Louisiana. June 8, 2026. Age 35.
15. La’Daijah Walters – Mobile, Alabama. June 22, 2026. Age 32.
16. William ‘Ike’ Eickholt – Hastings, Minnesota. February 1, 2025. Age 74.
17. Kayonna Ankeny – Augusta, Georgia. February 5, 2023. Age 30.
18. Asia Williams – Baltimore, Maryland. June 23, 2026. Age 38.
19. Haley Brook Terry – Mobile, Alabama. April 6, 2025. Age 20.
20. Jayla McGee – Belle Glade, Florida (presumed). July 5, 2026. Age 19.
21. Cormac Robinson – Carrollton, Georgia. October 15, 2025. Age 24.
22. Patti Wilson – Grand Junction, Colorado. June 19, 2026. Age 31.
23. Juju Nadeau – Portland, Maine. August 5, 2026. Age 21.
24. Sophie Lee – Baltimore, Maryland. September 11, 2026. Age 27.
25. Jonathan McKinsey – San Francisco, California. September 26, 2026. Age 40.
26. Denise Johnson – Halawa, Hawaii. August 4, 2026. Age 55.

Other Deaths

We are following these cases, but cannot confirm the details right now.

• Kalena ‘Peaches’ Croskey – Birmingham, Alabama. June 11, 2026. Age 35.
• Daniella Analee Escobedo – Las Vegas, Nevada (unconfirmed), April 12, 2026. Age 34.
• Name Unknown – Charlotte, North Carolina. Found on May 21, 2026. Date of death unknown. Age unknown.
• Leia Trysiss Ali – Las Vegas, Nevada. May 24, 2026. Age 35.