CeCe McDonald

CeCe McDonald
CeCe McDonald at the SF LGBT Center.
Born (1989-05-26) May 26, 1989[1]
Chicago[1]
Known forManslaughter conviction, LGBTQ activism

CeCe McDonald (/ˌsiːˈsiː/; born May 26, 1989) is an American transgender woman, convicted killer and, after release from prison, LGBTQ activist.[2][3][4] Originally charged with murder for the fatal stabbing of unarmed 47-year-old Dean Schmitz in June 2011, McDonald accepted a plea bargain and pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree manslaughter with a sentence of 41 months.[5][6][7][8][9] McDonald was then housed at the male St Cloud prison.[10][11] After serving 19 months, McDonald was released on 13 January 2014[12] but remained under the supervision of the Minnesota Department of Corrections throughout the 41-month sentence.[13]

The confrontation in 2011 had started with racist and transphobic comments, and turned physical when Molly Flaherty struck McDonald in the face with a drinking glass.[14] McDonald responded by taking out a pair of scissors and stabbing Dean Schmitz in the chest.[15] McDonald's manslaughter conviction outraged some[16] and gained international attention when an Ebony.com article about the case won the GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding Digital Journalism Article".[17]

Post release, McDonald was profiled in publications, included in the Advocate's annual "40 Under 40" list,[18][19] featured in a documentary,[20][21] and presented with a Civil Rights Award.[16]

Background

McDonald was assigned male at birth, on 26 May 1989,[2] and at 15 was a child prostitute earning up to $1,000 on a Saturday night.[22] Originally from South Chicago,[23]: 6  McDonald went on to study fashion at Minneapolis Community and Technical College.[23]: 1 

Killing, conviction and incarceration

Incident

At around 11:30 pm on June 5, 2011,[23]: 1–2  McDonald, roommate Latavia Taylor, and friends Larry Tyaries Thomas, Zavawn Smith, and Roneal Harris, all African-American,[24]: 1  walked to a Cub Foods to buy groceries. A confrontation occurred outside the Schooner Tavern,[4] where Dean Schmitz, his girlfriend Jenny Thoreson, and his ex-girlfriend Molly Flaherty had stepped out for a cigarette[23]: 2 shortly after midnight.[25]

McDonald claimed that racist and transphobic slurs were shouted:[4] Thoreson characterized the remarks as derogatory and sarcastic. Thomas recalled Schmitz, Thoreson, and Flaherty saying "faggots" and "nigger lovers." Thomas responded by approaching Schmitz, who walked off but then remarked, 'Oh, look at the tranny over there'"[23]: 2  and "look at that boy dressed like a girl and tucking her dick in".[2]

McDonald testified that as they tried to walk away,[26] Flaherty started a fight:[27] McDonald was smashed in the face with an alcohol glass, causing a cut[26] that required 11 stitches,[28] with Flaherty saying "I can take on all of you bitches".[2] Thoreson recalled Flaherty throwing the first punch.[23]: 2  Flaherty's boyfriend, David Crandell, then stepped out of the bar to find multiple members of McDonald's group attacking her and tried to pull them away.[23]: 2 

Gary Gilbert, a security worker at the Schooner Tavern, recalled seeing Schmitz pull McDonald away from Flaherty, and that Schmitz and McDonald then moved into the street:[23]: 2  McDonald's defense characterized this as McDonald having "attempted to leave the scene", but being followed by Schmitz.[2] Gilbert recalled McDonald appearing to be holding a blade, while Schmitz had his fists clenched saying "you gonna stab me, you bitch?" Schmitz was then stabbed in the chest with a pair of scissors:[26] he hunched over, put his hand to his shirt and said "you stabbed me," to which McDonald was witnessed replying, "Yes I did."[23]: 2 [26] McDonald told police that Schmitz had charged and ran into the scissors.[25]

When those present saw Schmitz bleeding, the fighting stopped; McDonald and Thomas ran towards Cub Foods while some of their friends boarded a Metro Transit bus.[23]: 2  Schmitz's wound was more than three inches deep and pierced his heart in the right ventricle. Anthony Stoneburg, who was in the neighborhood visiting his aunt, tried to plug the wound, but Schmitz died in the ambulance.

Arrest, confession and charges

In the parking lot of the grocery store, McDonald flagged down a police car,[23]: 1  was arrested, and confessed to the stabbing though later wrote that confessing was "a big mistake [for] trying to cover up for one of my friends who actually did it."[25] Larry Thomas and Zavawn Smith also said that another friend, who they saw running away from the scene at the time, had admitted stabbing Schmitz.[29]

The office of Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman reviewed the evidence, including the taped confession, and charged McDonald with two counts of second-degree murder.[23]: 1, 3 

Pretrial period

Hersch Izek, of the Legal Rights Center, took up McDonald’s case and argued that killing Schmitz by stabbing him in his heart was self-defense and “reasonable when confronted with the reasonable possibility of bodily harm or death", citing McDonald's bleeding profusely from a facial wound as reason to believe in such a danger.[23]: 3  Freeman disagreed, arguing there was no evidence that Schmitz posed a threat to McDonald's life, who had failed to exercise the duty to retreat, adding “there is no evidence that I'm aware of that [Schmitz] had any weapon in his hand, or that he had done anything to McDonald..." Freeman also noted that McDonald's story had changed: first confessing to stabbing Schmitz but later claiming someone else had stabbed him.[23]: 4 

The defense intended to bring before the jury that Schmitz had faced more than two dozen criminal cases since turning 18; had convictions for fifth-degree assault and domestic assault; that methamphetamine and benzoylecgonine (a cocaine metabolite), which when combined can lead to unpredictable and unwarranted violence, were found in his system; and that he had a tattoo of a swastika on his chest.[23]: 3  Schmitz's brother said Schmitz was not a racist, but that he had become a part of a group of white supremacists while in prison when he was younger. Freeman dismissed the tattoo as irrelevant, saying McDonald "couldn't see it, nor could anyone else ... It adds a little bit of sensationalism to the case, obviously."[23]: 4 

On the first day of pretrial hearings, the prosecution disputed the admittance of Schmitz's tattoo, arguing it was not relevant and was unfairly prejudicial.[23]: 4  Judge Daniel Moreno ruled that Schmitz's tattoo and his three previous convictions for assault were not admissible as evidence of his alleged violent disposition, that McDonald's supporters could not wear "Free CeCe" T-shirts in court,[27] and that the defense's toxicology expert could testify to the effects of methamphetamine and benzoylecgonine in general but not their effects on Schmitz on the night in question. Moreno also prevented an activist from testifying about the atmosphere of transphobia and how it might have made McDonald fear for her life.[30] Moreno also permitted the admittance of McDonald's prior statements on blogs and Facebook and a motion to impeach McDonald's testimony due to her previous conviction for writing a bad check.[23]: 5 

Media and public attention during pre-trial

In the aftermath of the stabbing, Schmitz's son, Jeremy Williams, described his father as always helping people and "an overall great person."[31] In her letter from Hennepin County jail, McDonald said "none of this mess wouldn't be happening if it weren't for the victim and his group being rude and disrespectful to people they never knew."[25]

In April 2012, author Kate Bornstein spoke on MSNBC cable television program Melissa Harris-Perry, regarding self-defense issues and comparing McDonald's situation with George Zimmerman's in the aftermath of the killing of Trayvon Martin.[24]: 2  The case also attracted national attention from LGBT activists including author Leslie Feinberg, who wrote that "the right of self-defense against all forms of oppressions—the spirit of Stonewall—is at the heart of the demand to free [McDonald]".[4] Cam Gordon, a member of the Minneapolis City Council, announced his support for McDonald and called the incident "another example [of] transgender women of color being targeted for hate- and bias-related violence",[23]: 1  and Susan Allen, a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, called on Freeman to consider the "extenuating circumstances" of McDonald's case.[24]: 2  Transgender activist Laverne Cox, who plays Sophie Burset in Orange Is The New Black, stated that McDonald was the perfect image of the character,[3][22] also identifying with McDonald's experiences of being harassed.[22]

A May 2012 press release by McDonald's support committee said the sentencing proceedings included statements from community leaders, clergy, and members of McDonald's family.[24]: 1  Supporters held dance parties and rallies outside the Hennepin County jail in McDonald's honor[23]: 2  and over 18,000 people signed a Change.org petition calling for Freeman to drop the charges against McDonald.[24]: 2 

In June 2012, a group calling itself the "Queer Attack Squadron" claimed responsibility for a Portland, Oregon incident throwing an unlit molotov cocktail through the window of a Wells Fargo bank as a gesture of solidarity with McDonald. Katie Burgess, executive director of the Trans Youth Support Network, said the group had no connection to McDonald's supporters in Minneapolis.[32][33] Burgess said the growth in support for McDonald’s self-defense argument was due to the perception McDonald was "on trial for surviving a hate crime."[24]: 1 

Plea bargain (May 2012)

Days before the trial was to begin, Moreno offered a plea bargain: charges of second-degree murder would be reduced to second-degree manslaughter, and McDonald would have to admit only to criminal negligence rather than murder.[23]: 4  On May 2, 2012, the defense and prosecution agreed on a 41-month sentence, the minimum sentence for second-degree manslaughter, as a compromise.[23]: 6  In accepting the plea deal, McDonald had to relinquish the argument that Schmitz was killed in self-defense or by accident, and had to forego a trial by jury.[24]: 1  McDonald said she accepted the plea deal for her loved ones: instead of risking decades in prison, the deal was expected to result in her being freed in a fraction of the time.[23]: 6  On June 4, 2012, Moreno sentenced McDonald to 41 months in prison,[4] gave credit for 245 days' jail time, and required payment of $6,410 in restitution for Schmitz's funeral expenses.[34]

Imprisonment

While awaiting trial, McDonald had been held in segregated custody and spent time under house arrest. In May 2012, Michael Friedman of the Legal Rights Center, and Katie Burgess, both acknowledged that said there was "no way" McDonald would be "sent to a women's prison"[24]: 1–2  and that there was “really no history of transgender people being placed according to their gender identity."[26] After being sentenced, McDonald expressed resignation saying, "I've faced worse things in my life than prison."[23]: 2 

A spokeswoman for the Minnesota Department of Corrections said officials had decided to place McDonald in an adult male facility, the Minnesota Correctional Facility – St. Cloud, though the final destination had yet to be determined[35] and the state would make its own determination of McDonald's gender.[36] The state's gender assessment concluded that McDonald would be held in a men's facility.[37] During her imprisonment a petition caused the Department of Corrections to administer the correct regimen of hormones. Despite being transferred to a second facility McDonald remained quartered with men throughout her imprisonment.[3]

Flaherty assault case

In May 2012, Molly Flaherty was charged with second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and third-degree assault causing substantial bodily harm for attacking McDonald with "an alcoholic drink" glass that caused a wound requiring eleven stitches.[28][38] Her case was referred to the Washington County Attorney's Office in order to avoid a conflict of interest.[23]: 4  In April 2013, Flaherty was sentenced to six months' jail time and probation after pleading guilty to third-degree assault, and was given credit for 135 days served in jail.[39]

Post-incarceration

McDonald’s release day was described by Chase Strangio, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, as being one to celebrate.[40] McDonald was described as in good spirits but not ready to comment publicly,[3] though did a first televised interview six days later on Melissa Harris-Perry on MSNBC. McDonald stated that prisons weren’t safe for anyone, with Katie Burgess adding that "the only way that trans folks are going to be safe in prisons is for incarceration of people to end."[41]

In 2014, McDonald was profiled by Rolling Stone, included as part of the Advocate's annual "40 Under 40" list,[18][19] and awarded the Bayard Rustin Civil Rights Award by the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club.[16]

In 2016, FREE CeCe, a documentary about McDonald directed by New York filmmaker Jac Gares, who raised $300,000 to fund it, and Laverne Cox as executive producer, was the kick-off film at the 2016 San Francisco Transgender Film Festival.[42][20] The film takes the form of an interview by Cox of McDonald dealing with the events in 2011, McDonald's imprisonment, and violence experienced by trans women of color.[21]

Also in 2016, McDonald teamed up with gender non-conforming activist and prison abolitionist Joshua Allen for a Black Excellence Tour.[43][42] In winter 2021, McDonald took part in a Black Lives Matter event along with Elle Hearns, at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Multicultural Center.[44]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "CeCe McDonald". LGBT History Month. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e Birkey, Andy (May 4, 2012). "The trial of CeCe McDonald". The American Independent. Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Goldman, Russell (January 13, 2014). "Transgender Activist CeCe McDonald Released from Prison". ABC News. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e Avery, Dan (June 4, 2012). "Trans Woman "CeCe" McDonald Sentenced To 41 Months For Slaying Attacker". Queerty. Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  5. ^ "Transgender Woman Gets 41 Months After Accepting Plea Deal". CBS News. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  6. ^ Ennis, Dawn (28 November 2014). "Laverne Cox Rocks The View". The Advocate. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  7. ^ Signorile, Michelangelo (22 February 2014). "CeCe McDonald, Transgender Activist, Recalls Hate Attack, Manslaughter Case". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  8. ^ Jain, Ankit. "Uncommon Interview: CeCe McDonald". Chicago Maroon. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  9. ^ Goldman, Russell. "Transgender Activist CeCe McDonald Released from Prison". ABC News. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  10. ^ "Transgender defendant get 3 years for killing bar patron". Minnesota Star Tribune. 5 June 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  11. ^ Goldman, Russell. "Transgender Activist CeCe McDonald Released from Prison". ABC News. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  12. ^ "Transgender Activist CeCe McDonald Released from Prison". ABC News. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  13. ^ Merevick, Tony (January 13, 2014). "After 19 Months In Men's Prison, CeCe McDonald Released". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  14. ^ Solomon, Akiba (4 May 2012). "CeCe McDonald: Attacked for Her Identity, Incarcerated for Surviving". Ebony. Archived from the original on 24 November 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  15. ^ Pasulka, Nicole. "The Case of CeCe McDonald: Murder—or Self-Defense Against a Hate Crime?". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on 18 November 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014. was walking with four friends past Schooner Tavern in Minneapolis. A group of at least four white people outside the bar began harassing McDonald and her friends, calling the group, all of whom were African American, "niggers" and "faggots." One of the men in the group, who would later be identified as Dean Schmitz, said "look at that boy dressed like a girl tucking her dick in." As McDonald and her friends tried to walk away, Schmitz's ex-girlfriend Molly Flaherty hit McDonald in the face with a glass of alcohol and sliced open her cheek, causing an injury that would later require stitches. The groups began fighting, and when McDonald attempted to leave the scene, Schmitz followed. McDonald took a pair of scissors out of her purse and turned around to face Schmitz; he was stabbed in the chest and died from the wound.
  16. ^ a b c Nahmod, David-Elijah. "Tears, cheers for McDonald at Milk club dinner". Bay Area Reporter. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  17. ^ Townsend, Megan (2013-05-14). "Laverne Cox, Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler present to Marc Lamont Hill, Ebony.com at #GLAADAwards". GLAAD. Archived from the original on 2014-01-15. Retrieved 2014-01-13. Dr. Marc Lamont Hill was presented with the award for Outstanding Digital Journalism Article…for Hill's Ebony.com piece "Why Aren't We Fighting for CeCe McDonald?" at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.
  18. ^ a b Rubin Erdely, Sabrina (July 30, 2014). "The Transgender Crucible". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  19. ^ a b Molloy, Parker Marie (July 30, 2014). "Going to Prison Made CeCe MdDonald Want to Fix Them". Advocate. Archived from the original on July 31, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  20. ^ a b Logsdon-Breakstone, Savannah (December 16, 2013). "Laverne Cox and Jac Gares on Their New Documentary, FREE CeCe!". Persephone Magazine. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  21. ^ a b Fabian, Renee (December 17, 2013). "'FREE CECE' - Laverne Cox's documentary to free CeCe McDonald". GLAAD. GLAAD. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  22. ^ a b c Erdely, Sabrina Rubin (30 July 2014). "The Transgender Crucible". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Mannix, Andy (May 9, 2012). "CeCe McDonald murder trial". City Pages. Archived from the original on January 22, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h Pasulka, Nicole (May 22, 2012). "The Case of CeCe McDonald: Murder—or Self-Defense Against a Hate Crime?". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  25. ^ a b c d Walsh, Paul (June 27, 2011). "Transgender advocates defend accused killer of bar patron". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  26. ^ a b c d e Pearce, Matt (June 18, 2012). "Transgender woman sentenced to men's prison in Minnesota killing". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  27. ^ a b Avery, Dan (May 1, 2012). "Trial Of CeCe McDonald, Trans Woman Accused Of Stabbing Death, Begins In MN". Queerty. Archived from the original on July 4, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  28. ^ a b Mannix, Andy (May 23, 2012). "Molly Flaherty charged with smashing glass on CeCe McDonald's face". City Pages. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  29. ^ Mullen, Mike (June 29, 2011). "Transgender suspect Chrishaun McDonald didn't kill Dean Schmitz, witnesses claim". City Pages. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  30. ^ "The CeCe McDonald story: was she fighting back or committing murder?". www.crimelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  31. ^ "Man Faces Murder Charge in Minneapolis Bar Stabbing". KMSP Fox 9. June 8, 2011. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  32. ^ Rivas, Jorge (June 7, 2012). "Wells Fargo Hit With Molotov Cocktail in 'Solidarity With CeCe'". ColorLines. Archived from the original on March 30, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  33. ^ Mannix, Andy (June 12, 2012). "CeCe McDonald supporters throw Molotov cocktail at Portland Wells Fargo". City Pages. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  34. ^ Simons, Abby; Walsh, Paul (June 5, 2012). "Transgender defendant gets 3 years for killing bar patron". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  35. ^ Simons, Abby; Walsh, Paul (June 19, 2012). "McDonald imprisoned in male facility". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on June 21, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  36. ^ Rivas, Jorge (June 4, 2012). "Black Transgender Woman CeCe McDonald to be Housed in Male Prison". ColorLines. Archived from the original on March 31, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  37. ^ Walsh, Paul (January 13, 2014). "'CeCe' McDonald freed after 19 months in prison for killing Mpls. bar patron". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  38. ^ Simons, Abby (May 23, 2012). "Woman charged in attack on friend's killer during melee outside Mpls. bar". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  39. ^ Simons, Abby (April 4, 2013). "Jail term for Minneapolis woman who ignited melee". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on April 6, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  40. ^ Hsieh, Steven (January 13, 2014). "Trans Activist CeCe McDonald Was Released From Prison Today". The Nation. Archived from the original on January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  41. ^ McDonough, Katie (January 19, 2014). "CeCe McDonald on her time in prison: "I felt like they wanted me to hate myself as a trans woman"". Salon. Archived from the original on January 20, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  42. ^ a b Staver, Sari (October 27, 2016). "Trans film fest unveils largest program ever". Bay Area Reporter. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  43. ^ Cherise Morris; Rheem Brooks (March 24, 2016). "Interview with Joshua Allen: Bending Towards Freedom: Queer Abolitionist Histories & Black Femmehood". Bluestockings Magazine. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  44. ^ "Winter 2021 Events". Retrieved 14 December 2025.
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