Brandon Teena

The one True Crime story that has always stuck out in my mind is the one of Brandon Teena. Brandon was born Teena Renae Brandon on December 12, 1972 in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was born to a young widowed mother and had a difficult childhood that involved extensive sexual abuse by an uncle.

Sometime in His teens Teena changed his name to Brandon. He was attractive, rugged, outgoing, identifying as male and dating girls by his senior year. As is the case in a lot of families there was no support from his mother during his transition. There was also the trouble with an entire town knowing that he was born a female and referring to him as such, including his mother.

After some legal trouble from forging checks and other law breaking, Brandon decided to move to the Falls City region of Nebraska (Humboldt). He quickly made friends with some of the residents and eventually moved in with Lisa Lambert. Brandon was introduced to Lisa’s friend Lana Tisdel and the two began dating. Unfortunately, it was this relationship that would introduce him to his eventual rapists and murderers John L. Lotter and Marvin Thomas Nissen.

People learned of Brandon’s sex at birth after he was arrested for forging cheques again. There is some dispute as to how they all learned of it. There is one story that says it was because they put Brandon in the female wing of the jail and another saying that it was published in the paper. However it is that Lotter and Nissen learned of Brandon’s sex at birth, they were enraged by it.

During a Christmas party on December 19th, 1993, Lotter and Nissen reportedly grabbed Brandon, forced him to remove his pants and forced Lana to look and see that Brandon had female genitals. They then assaulted Brandon, drove him to a remote area and gang raped him. They then returned to Nissen’s home and ordered Brandon to shower. Brandon climbed out the bathroom window and fled to Lana’s house. Brandon was convinced by her to file a police report even thought Lotter and Nissen had threatened his life if he did.

When Brandon tried to seek justice for the rape, Sheriff Charles B. Laux put him through even more pain mistreatment with the questions that he asked as well as the way that he treated Brandon. Even though the two men had just raped Brandon, He was treated as the criminal because he identified as male in other arrests. Three day or so latter the men were questioned and as soon as they were released they started to look for Brandon.

In the early morning hours of December 31st,1993 Lotter and Nissen broke into Lisa Lamberts home. Once inside they took the lives of three innocent people, including Brandon in front of Lisa’s small child, leaving him in the house with their corpses.

Phillip DeVine was only 22 years old when he was shot twice and killed because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time visiting a friend. He was found sitting against the couch.

Lisa Lambert was 24 years old when she was shot 3 times because she did not hate a person for the sex they were born, leaving her young son Tanner without his mother. She was found laying face up on her waterbed.

Brandon Teena was 21 years old when he was shot twice and stabbed because he was born with female genitalia but was male on the inside. He was found laying at the foot of Lisa’s bed.

John L. Lotter is currently in prison awaiting execution and Marvin Thomas Nissen is serving life in prison after he testified against Lotter for a reduced sentence. Lana Tisdel graduated , married and moved to Kansas.

In 1999 they made a film about the murders and while it is a film with amazing acting that tells a story that needs to be told, I could never watch it again. It is to hard to watch and they left out a victim. Phllip DeVine was not portrayed in the film.

This true crime story sticks with me because it shows the unnecessary brutality of hate and fear. There are so many stories of hate where innocent lives are taken over who a person chooses to love or be friends with or who they identify with internally versus what we see externally. I am a woman that was raised not to hate but to love and understand so this story really makes me hurt for the people and families involved.