A transgender woman who said she “snapped” and killed both of her parents while struggling with gender identity when she was 17 was sentenced to 40 years in prison Tuesday. “I do not speak today to beg for lenience or to try to save myself from due punishment,” Andrea Balcer, now 20, told the courtroom in Maine. “I’m here only to ask for one thing, the forgiveness of my family.” Balcer—who had no criminal record prior to the murders—fatally stabbed her mother and father in their family home on Halloween in 2016. She initially told authorities she could not understand why she had “snapped” but later suggested the crime stemmed from her parents not being understanding of her decision to transition, the Associated Press reports. Balcer’s older brother, Christopher Balcer, called his sister’s excuses “flimsy” in court Tuesday. “In my view, all leniency does is put a remorseless murderer back on the street,” he said.
