Pop was a black transgender woman.[5] She lived 145 miles south of St. Louis in Sikeston, Missouri, a small town of 16,000 people.[6]
Killing
On May 3, 2020, a 28-year-old black transgender woman named Nina Pop was found dead with multiple stab wounds after being stabbed with a knife inside her own apartment on South New Madrid Street in Sikeston, Missouri.[5][7][3][8][9]
Aftermath
On May 15, 2020 in Dexter, Missouri, Joseph B. Cannon from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, was accused of Pop's murder and arrested for second-degree murder and armed criminal action.[10] He pleaded not guilty, requested a public defender, and awaits trial.[11][12] 11 crime labs, anti-violence organizations, and police departments contributed to the investigation.[13] Pop's death was being investigated as a potential hate crime.[9][14]
Sikeston Department of Public Safety and a local TV network initially misgendered Pop during their investigation and reporting, respectively.[15][16]
Community response
The Okra Project, a grassroots organization initially focused on addressing food insecurity in the black transgender community, dedicated $15,000 to form the Nina Pop Mental Health Recovery Fund and the Tony McDade Mental Health Recovery Fund in to raise money for free one-time mental health therapy sessions for black transgender individuals.[17][18][19]
