BPD Community Alert: Detectives assigned to the Unsolved Homicide Unit are seeking the public’s assistance with any information in connection to a 1998 Murder in Brighton.
On Saturday, November 28, 1998, Rita (William) Hester was brutally stabbed to death in her apartment at 21 Park Vale Avenue in Brighton. Rita was a 34-year-old transgender African-American woman and was raised in Hartford, CT.
Rita’s murder shook the LGBTQ+ community and the Brighton neighborhood she resided in. Rita’s legacy has forged several initiatives including the Transgender Day of Remembrance that is celebrated on November 20th every year.
Rita was last seen at about 5:00pm leaving the Silhouette Lounge on Brighton Avenue. The Boston Police Unsolved Homicide Unit is actively reviewing the facts and circumstances surrounding this murder. Anyone with information is strongly urged to contact the Boston Police Homicide Unit at 617-343-4470.
Community members wishing to assist this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463). The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to assist this investigation in an anonymous manner.
For those who find themselves in need of emotional support or simply needing to talk to someone about the distressing events in our community, the Boston Neighborhood Trauma Team (NTT) provides free, private support 24/7 at 617-431-0125.
