Defendant in Transgender Homicide Pleads to Lesser Charge

One of the men accused in the homicide of a woman in Maplewood last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

The man, Marquise Foster of North Plainfield, was arrested last fall and accused in the murder of Victoria Carmen White, but not indicted. On May 12, Foster pleaded to hindering the apprehension of his co-defendent, Alrashim Chambers, who was also arrested and accused of murder, according the the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Last year, Foster and Chambers were arrested and charged with in the murder of Victoria Carmen White, who was shot to death on September 12, 2010 in Maplewood after meeting the two men in an Irvington nightclub and returning with them to her cousin's apartment at Jacoby Street and Boyden Avenue.

Foster will appear for sentencing on July 22. It is not yet known what sentencing recommendation the Prosecutor's Office will make. Carter told the News-Record that she could not say if Foster had agreed to testify against Chambers.

Both Foster and Chambers remain in custody in the Essex County Correctional Facility on $1 million bail.

White's murder raised concerns in the LGBT community due to her transgender status and the potential role that her gender reassignment played in her murder. The Essex County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the homicide to determine if it was a bias crime, and Garden State Equality offered a reward for information leading to an arrest.

White, who attended Columbia High School as James White, had undergone sex reassignment surgery several years ago and was working as a model in New York. Her death spurred an outpouring of grief from friends and former classmates.