2 alleged drug pushers charged in transgender activist's death whose funeral caused controversy
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Two alleged drug pushers were charged Monday with distributing the heroin and fentanyl that caused the death of a transgender activist whose funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral caused controversy.
Cecilia Gentili was 52 when she died February 6 after using lethal drugs allegedly sold a day earlier by Antonio Venti and supplied by Michael Kuilan.
Gentili's partner called police to her Brooklyn apartment where she was found dead in the bedroom. An autopsy determined she died due to the combined effects of heroin and fentanyl.
"As alleged, Cecilia Gentili, a prominent activist and leader of the transgender community in New York tragically overdosed in her Brooklyn home from fentanyl-laced heroin. Today, along with our law enforcement partners at DEA and the NYPD, we announce the arrests of the defendants who sold the deadly dose of drugs to Gentili," said United States Attorney Breon Peace.
Gentili was a renowned activist for the trans community, sex workers, and people living with HIV, but hosting her funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral was what the Archdiocese of New York called "sacrilegious and deceptive."
Gentili's family responded saying all are supposed to be welcome.
"We brought precious life and radical joy to the Cathedral in historic defiance of the Church's hypocrisy and anti-trans hatred. Cecilia Gentili's funeral service, which filled the pews in ways the Cathedral only can during Easter service and NYPD funerals, was a reflection of the love she had for her community and a testament to the impact of her tireless advocacy."
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