NASA engineer killed in D.C. in possible hate crime

SAN FRANCISCO: Candlelight vigils were held last weekend on both coasts to commemorate the life of Gaurav Gopalan, a gay aerospace engineer, who was found dead Sept 10, two blocks away from his Washington, D.C. apartment. Gopalan, 35, was dressed in women's clothes, with makeup and carrying a purse when he was found dead, according to police, who initially reported that the NASA contractor had died of natural causes. But Beverly Fields, a spokeswoman for the Washington, D.C. Chief Medical Examiner's Office, told India-West that Gopalan had died from a "sub-arachnoid hemorrhage due to blunt-impact head trauma." The manner of death was homicide, said Fields.
A sub-arachnoid hemmorhage occurs when a blood vessel on the surface of the brain ruptures and bleeds into the space between the brain and the skull, according to the American Heart Association.
Several community organizations have suggested that Gopalan may have been killed in a hate crime directed against a transgendered person. This summer, at least two transgendered women have been attacked in the area, reported local media.
But Washington, D.C. Metro Police Department Assistant Police Chief Peter Newsham told India-West, "We currently do not have any evidence to suggest this was a hate crime," adding that there were no updates to the case in the 16 days since Gopalan's death.
Captain Michael Farish of the Washington, D.C. Metro Police Department told India-West a passer-by found Gopalan lying dead on the ground at 5:20 a.m. Gopalan had no facial lacerations or bruises, said Farish, explaining that he could have received a slight blow to the head , causing a ruptured artery which could lead to a slow bleed. "If it's a slow bleed, you don't fall right down," said Farish, a 28-year veteran with the force. No gunshot wounds or stab wounds were found on Gopalan's body, he added, noting that a complete autopsy, with toxicology reports, is expected to be finished in three to five weeks.
Bob Shaeffer, Gopalan's fiance and partner of five years, confirmed that the Indian American engineer had gone out that evening dressed in women's clothing, but did not believe his death was a hate crime. "It seemed more like a crime of opportunity," Shaeffer told India-West from the home he had shared with Gopalan, speculating that the perpetrator may have been attempting to steal the couple's BMW.
Gopalan's credit card and driver's license were missing from his wallet, but more than $130 in cash was found on his body, said Shaeffer. Farish confirmed that Gopalan had no identifying information, but did have cash on his person.
Shaeffer, a 63-year-old florist, and Gopalan initially met on match.com and then ran into each other during the intermission of a local production of Giacomo Puccini's "Madame Butterfly."
"It was love at first sight. We were meant to be together," said Shaeffer, adding that he and Gopalan had planned to marry next year. "Gaurav was the most affectionate, caring and wonderful person I have ever met. Our affection for each other just increased every day," he said.
Gopalan had begun to dress in women's clothing only 10 weeks before his death, said Shaeffer, adding that the Delhi native was experimenting with a side of himself, but had not identified as transgender, a term used for people who identify with a gender other than their biological one. "It was out of character for him to be dressed as a woman, and I don't think it was a life choice for him," Shaeffer said.
But Farish told India-West that Shaeffer had stated - in the course of several interviews with police - that Gopalan had intended to break up with him, and two weeks before his death told Shaeffer that he wanted to try out life as a woman.
Farish also said he found it odd that Shaeffer did not file a missing person's report and did not come forward to identify his partner of five years even after Gopalan's death photo was widely circulated in local media. Asked if Shaeffer was a suspect in Gopalan's death, Farish said, "Everyone's a suspect at this point, since no 'good' suspect has emerged.
At the San Francisco vigil Sept. 23, Madhuri Anji, co-chair of Trikone, an organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, told India-West, "It's so sad that you can't walk alone two blocks away from your home."
"When we live here (in San Francisco), or Boston or New York, we forget about the hatred that still exists against people who look a little different," said Anji.
Trikone advocacy director Harsha Mallajosyula told India-West, "We wanted to celebrate Gaurav's life and his identity and also wanted to target the issue of hate crimes directed at our community."
In Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25, more than 200 people gathered at Dupont Circle, and then marched two miles to the spot where Gopalan was killed, passing by the theater where the thespian had performed in several plays by William Shakespeare.
Rep. Eleanor Norton, D-D.C., sent a statement which was read at the vigil. "A multi-talented and brilliant aerospace engineer, Gaurav was the type of scientist our nation seeks to attract because, without them, American science simply would not move forward."
"This brutal crime is an unbearable truth that Gaurav's death calls us to confront at last. To fail to engage the fact of the violence that took him from his partner, his friends, his family, and this city is to condone it," said Norton, adding that she would encourage the U.S. Attorney's office for the District of Columbia to investigate Gopalan's death.
Washington, D.C. councilmember Jim Graham called on police to intensify their investigation. "We need to find this killer. This has to be stopped and stopped now," he asserted, adding that the perpetrator was likely to strike again.
Puesh Kumar, president of KhushDC, told India-West, "We are hoping to pressure police to conduct a full investigation."
"We're not sure if it was a hate crime, but someone's life was lost and we need to do our best to find out what happened," said Kumar.
Gopalan moved from Delhi to the U.S. in 1998, and obtained his Ph.D. in engineering from the University of Maryland. He leaves behind his father Gopalan and his mother Urmila, who now live in Nepal.