A Double Life

LOS ANGELES, Monday, Dec. 22, 1997 —

The body lay sprawled across the blood-stained sidewalk.

At first glance it appeared to be a woman. There was the long hair, the turquoise blue dress, and the maroon sweater. But the body lying on its back in front of 1239 South Compton Ave., in South Central Los Angeles, was not a woman, despite the matching red lace bra and panties.

She was a he.

The evidence was unmistakable. From beneath the wig, which sat askew atop the person's head, peeked the receding hairline and close-cropped scalp of a middle-aged man. Additionally, the raised dress, hiked up nearly to the hips, and the low-slung panties, pulled down almost to the knees, gave any curious onlooker an unobstructed view of a penis.

A passerby called 911 at about 6:00 a.m.

Less than an hour later, four detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Newton Division had gathered at the scene.