The other two defendants pleaded guilty or no-contest to voluntary manslaughter. In at least one of the trials, a "trans panic defense"βan extension of the gay panic defense βwas employed. Merel and Magidson were sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 15 years.
Merel was granted early parole in , after reportedly showing extensive remorse to Araujo's mother, who supported the decision. Magidson, however, has reportedly never shown remorse and has been denied parole three times since his sentencing.
Araujo came out as transgender in at the age of 14, and began using the name Gwen after her favorite musician, Gwen Stefani , but also went by Wendy and Lida. She transferred to an alternative high school, but did not return for the β03 academic year. After she left, Nabors asked the other three, "Could this be a dude?
Araujo surprised her with a strong blow during the fight, and Brown said the men "were tripping, because she was smaller than me and just as strong. She fought like a guy.
If it's a man, she ain't gonna leave. In the early morning hours of October 4, Magidson asked Araujo to reveal her sex or allow him to touch her genitals, which she refused.
