Newsweek profile of transgender killer feeling 'happy to be alive' trashed as 'puff piece'

Newsweek’s illustration of a erstwhile death enactment inmate and convicted murderer, who is transitioning into a woman, shocked readers who called it "puff piece." 

Steven Joseph Hayes was antecedently sentenced to decease successful 2010 for the sidesplitting of a Connecticut parent and her 2 daughters aft an attempted burglary. Hayes’ decease condemnation was aboriginal commuted to beingness without parole successful 2015.

Since being convicted, Hayes has transitioned to Linda Mai Lee and gave exclusive comments to Newsweek, claiming to yet consciousness "comfortable surviving arsenic a woman."

"For the archetypal clip successful my beingness I americium blessed to beryllium live and bash not privation to die," Lee told Newsweek.

Steven Joseph Hayes was convicted of murdering a pistillate and her 2 daughters and was primitively fixed the decease penalty. (Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

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The nonfiction was criticized arsenic a "puff piece" astir a convicted murderer due to the fact that the inmate was transgender.

"This antheral held a household of 4 hostage successful their location for hours, beating them, raping the 11 twelvemonth aged girl and the mother, past strangling the mother, and yet mounting the location connected fire, sidesplitting some children from fume inhalation. Newsweek present publishes a puff portion connected however helium is present blessed and astatine bid since helium came to presumption with his sex confusion. They assertion his ‘former anger’ had been fueled by this distress. Now helium is seeking treatments to feminize his appearance. (Undoubtedly funded by taxpayers.) You don’t hatred the media enough," civilian liberties lawyer Laura Powell wrote.

Live Action laminitis Lila Rose wrote, "A antheral convicted for the execution and rape of a parent and her 2 young daughters has a puff portion successful Newsweek contiguous astir however blessed helium is present that helium has ‘transitioned’ and gets to unrecorded successful a WOMEN’S situation and deterioration lipstick and ‘panties.’ Unbelievable evil."

Author Helen Joyce asked, "He raped an 11 twelvemonth aged and her mother, and murdered both, arsenic good arsenic the 11 twelvemonth old's sister. And we're expected to pity him due to the fact that his crimes were supposedly due to the fact that of his disorder astir his sex identity? And to springiness a flip that he's ‘happy to beryllium alive’?"

"He murdered a parent and her 2 daughters and raped 2 of them earlier doing so. But present he's benignant of atrocious for what helium did, but he’s besides astatine bid with it. The feel-good communicative of the year," National Review columnist Becket Adams wrote.

"’I raped and murdered a small miss and her mother, and murdered the teenage daughter, due to the fact that of my feminine sex identity’ Siri amusement maine the explanation of ‘misogynistic garbage.’ Shame connected Newsweek for publishing this repulsive crap," British columnist Hadley Freeman wrote.

"Newsweek is full trash. Used to beryllium a respected and respectable. No more," erstwhile nonrecreational tennis subordinate Martina Navratilova wrote.

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In the Newsweek piece, Lee (formerly Hayes) described the murders arsenic "wrong connected each level" and "the behaviour of idiosyncratic profoundly mired successful addiction and sex individuality issues." Newsweek likewise reported connected however Lee was diagnosed with sex dysphoria astatine the property of 16 and however "intolerance" apt contributed to the crimes.

Hayes began transitioning to Linda Mai Lee portion successful prison.  (Fox News Digital)

"Had Lee accepted herself earlier, Hawke-Petit and her daughters whitethorn inactive beryllium alive, she said," the nonfiction read.

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