Debra Forte

Location: Haverhill, Massachusetts
Cause of Death: Multiple six-inch stab wounds to the chest, any of which would have been sufficient to kill her. She was also beaten about the head and shoulders, by Michael Thompson
Date of Death: May 15, 1995
Source: Dallas Denny of GEA and Nancy Nangeroni
Notes: Thompson pleaded guilty to 2nd degree murder, and received a life sentence with parole in 15 years.

Some Thoughts From Debra’s Niece

It’s been four years since the murder of my aunt and it still effects me and my family as if it happened yesterday.

I watch my mother’s eyes fill up with tears when she mentions her name or when she tries to tell a story about something they did together as children.

I watched as my grandfather lost the will to live and his heart gave out. He just couldn’t get over the loss of a child.

I listen on the other end of the line when my mom calls me because she is having another panic attack and can’t sleep because all she can think about is the horror her sister must of endured at the hands of her killer.

I think about how it affected my brother when we went to the morgue and I had to pull him away because he went into shock over what he saw.

We watched as it took the police two weeks to find the killer who was hiding from them. And then we watched again as a judge let him out on bail.

It took one year and four months to bring him to trial. And in that time he got to spend every holiday with his family. He got to spend time with friends and before he went to prison he got to say good-bye.

He was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He plea-bargained with the district attorney.

At times I still can not believe I had to go to Washington to lobby congress for gender inclusion in the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, repeating the same story over and over again only to have it fall on deaf, congressional ears. I felt as though I was begging these people, these people that we vote for, for basic human rights. I seethe with anger, but to no avail.

It’s been difficult for me to come to terms with my aunt’s death, and I find myself crazy at times when I think of the fear that was put into her life by uneducated, ignorant people. I’m just not willing to let that go, because at the very end of her life that fear was realized.

Do you have more information on this person that you would like to see here? If so, please write to gwen@gender.org, with a subject line of “remembering our dead.”

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