36-year-old Raphael Oyague, of Baldwin, New York, is accused of allegedly murdering a craigslist prostitute by beating her to death with a hammer. Oyague is said to have argued with his victim over money she believed she was owed before beating her then dumping her lifeless body in the weeds. Police were able to find Oyague after the victim’s body was found by tracking a blood trail back to his residence. Oyague has been denied bail and has been charged with second-degree murder.
The victim was 25-year-old Deeana M. Wingender from Syosett. Some reports state that she had become addicted to prescription pills and turned to prostituting on craigslist to pay for her habit. Just because she may have been a prostitute, that shouldn’t reduce her meaning in the world as she is said to have come from a loving family who are probably crushed at their loss.
This story shows me a number of things. The first is that prostitution is still happening on craigslist, not that I ever doubted it stopped completely. The second is how dangerous a pill addiction can be. Some people seem to think since they were given their prescription by a doctor it’s ok to abuse them, but prescription pills are one of the leading causes of drug addiction in the country today. Because of her addiction, Miss Wingender wasn’t what people consider a ‘consenting adult’. Even though she may have had no pimp she was still a slave to her addiction. Lastly, this shows that craigslist, or Backpage does not make prostitutes any safer than walking the streets. As I’ve said before, craigslist and Backpage just make it more convenient since killers and rapists have their victims delivered to their home.
UPDATE 5/11/2018: Oyague pleade guilty to Deeana M. Wingender’s murder.
Real Crime with Trench Reynolds 