New Hampshire murder case involving trans couple raises questions about media reporting  

A tragic case of transgender violence, where a New Hampshire man who had “transitioned” to identifying as a woman allegedly murdered his spouse, who had also transitioned, highlights the media’s role in furthering gender confusion.

Reya N. Jasmin, 36, who was previously known as David Mark Jasmin, was arrested last week and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the stabbing death of his wife.

Police said Margaret Jasmin, a 39-year-old biological female, died of stab wounds. The suspect was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries in what appeared to be an attempted murder-suicide.

The couple’s 9-year-old son was present in the home but was not physically harmed in the incident, authorities said. 

The tragedy, and its reporting by police and media, reveals the complexities of journalism in a day when some believe men can be “women” and women can be “men.” 

The New Hampshire Department of Justice initially called Reya a man in its press release before later changing it to reflect his preferred pronouns and gender identity, The Maine Wire reported. The publication also described the incident as an “apparent murder-suicide.” 

The mainstream media almost universally went on to describe the incident as a woman killing her wife (or spouse or partner), refusing to acknowledge Jasmin’s biology, drawing criticism from some commentators. 

“A man pretending to be a woman allegedly stabs his wife to death in NH,” posted Libs of Tik Tok. “The media are all referring to him as a ‘woman.’ The media is spreading misinformation.” 

“This tragic incident underscores the dangers of media misrepresentation,” one X user added. “When outlets call a man a ‘woman’ after such a crime, it distorts reality and undermines public trust. Accurate reporting matters, especially in violent cases.” 

Others pointed out the media’s inconsistent use of the term “misinformation,” accusing some outlets of applying the term selectively depending on ideology. 

“Yes, it’s wild that the same media outlets that can’t even correctly identify the sex of people they’re reporting on are constantly complaining about the ‘misinformation’ in conservative news sources,” posted John Hawkins. 

Citizen journalist Andy Ngo reported that the Jasmins were married and had their son before the husband, David, began transitioning in 2017. He started hormone therapy in 2018 and “came out” at work in August of 2018. He worked as a software engineer for Cambridge Systematics, focusing on transportation. 

David was outspoken about his new identity, speaking at an “Ask a Transgender Woman Anything” event at his local public library in 2019. He proposed the event after the library hosted a similar forum featuring a Muslim. 

While the couple remained married, David’s transgender identity created friction with his wife.   

“Her husband is dead and she hates the person who replaced him,” David posted under the name Reya, Ngo reported. “Even though (I’m) still present as male nearly 100% of the time. And I’m still the same me. A better version of me, l’d like to think.” 

According to Ngo, “Reddit posts … suggest he forced his wife Margaret to accept that he was transitioning. She stood by him and then she transitioned too. He then made her accept that their relationship would now be “poly” and that he had a girlfriend.”  

The violence took place sometime after that announcement.   

Both David and Margaret posted pro-transgender messages online, and David’s X profile described him as a “happily married” polyam trans woman, alongside the acronyms BLM for Black Lives Matter and ACAB, a derogatory term about police.  

“Photos suggest their surviving child was also being raised trans,” Ngo wrote.  

David will likely be arraigned after he is released from the hospital, Maine Wire reported.