Police Report- Rita Hester Murder

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:

I am seeking the police report and all publicly available records on the murder of Rita/ William Hester on November 28, 1998 at 21 Park Vale Avenue in Allston.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by the recommendations of the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

I expect the request to be filled in an accessible format, including for screen readers, which provide text-to-speech for persons unable to read print. Files that are not accessible to screen readers include, for example, .pdf image files as well as physical documents.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Kathryn Sosin Oeser

To whom it may concern:
It has been more than 21 years since the murder of Rita Hester. I am a reporter for Logo TV working with NPR to investigate this murder with support from Rita's family. There is no reasonable excuse more than two decades later for withholding this police report. Police reports are regularly turned over to media in investigations.

Substantial evidence suggests that police and Boston officials have long neglected this investigation, which spurred an international movement for transgender homicide victims. It is in the public's best interest to release this document to us as it may help a cold investigation long abandoned by local officials. Not doing so further suggests continued disinterest in solving this murder which has long traumatized transgender communities across the nation. We are prepared to take legal action to obtain it.

Hello,
I am writing to inform you that this story has been moved to NBC News and will be published next week. The story will report that Suffolk County DA denied records request without explanation or an update on a case that appears to be cold for 14 years. Please get in touch if immediately you would like to comment. My number is [redacted].
Kate Sosin