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Michael H. Baughman

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Tears rolled down Jackie Renteria's face as she spoke of her slain friend at a vigil for him Saturday night.

Amancio Corrales, a man who performed as a female impersonator, was found murdered May 6.

Renteria said she hopes that Saturday's vigil, held at Madison Beach Park, will help get the message out that "you can't just always hate."

Many of the more than 75 people who attended the vigil believe that Corales was murdered because he was gay.

Michael Baughman, one of the organizers of the vigil said he hopes that by reminding the community of this death it will keep pressure on the police to find the murderer or murderers.

"We need to get it so that we don't have any more crimes based on hate," Baughman said.

Donna Rose, a transgender advocate from Scottsdale, said "Amancio was killed for what he is, not for anything he's done. In the end, hate is hate."

"Hate doesn't take its time when it chooses victims it could land on us at anytime," she said.

Louis Herredia, spokesman for Congressman Raul Grijalva said, there is no room for these types of crimes. "They are just the very worst in people," he said.

"Biased-based crimes exist and they need to be addressed with fervor," said Baughman, who is with Yuma County Gay Rights Meetup.

On a framed piece of cloth, propped against a large tree, family and friends wrote about Corales:

"I wish I could save us all from hate — love John."

"Give love a chance."

"Justice shall be served in your name."

Most of the messages were scrawled in crayon and marker on the white cloth.

Renteria said Corales was a frequent visitor to her home.

"He made me feel better when I was down," Renteria said. "He's one of the persons who cared more. No matter who he was, I still love him. People need to not judge (people) for how they are, they need to look at the inside."

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Paige Lauren Deiner can be reached at
pdeiner@yumasun.com or 539-6872.