Trans activist, former Portland drag queen dies in jail by suicide while awaiting trial for killing father

Norah Horwitz, a transgender drag queen from Oregon awaiting trial in Virginia for the murder of Horwitz's father, died by suicide in jail on Sunday, according to a press release from the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office. Horwitz, 38, born Michael Aaron Horwitz, was found unresponsive during a routine security check around 6 pm on April 6. Horwitz was scheduled to go to trial in July on second-degree murder charges.

A deputy discovered Horwitz's body in a jail cell and contacted medical staff, who conducted CPR until medics arrived. However, Horwitz was declared dead shortly after. The Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office labeled the death as a suicide, but the medical examiner's office will determine the official cause of death.

Horwitz was accused of killing 68-year-old Abby Horwitz, a prominent dentist in Great Neck Square, at the family's waterfront home in Virginia Beach in June 2023. The victim was the defendant's father. Horwitz was arrested and taken into custody after contacting police about the killing. After the officers arrived on the scene, the defendant allegedly confessed to stabbing Abby to death. He was stabbed approximately 100 times in the face, torso, head, and extremities, according to prosecutors, the Daily Press reported.

According to court testimony, Horwitz told detectives that the pair had been standing in the kitchen when Abby allegedly made a "sexual gesture" with his hips, grabbed a knife, and came at Horwitz. Horwitz retreated to a hallway and punched Abby in the stomach. Horwitz grabbed the knife from Abby and stabbed him in the side. A struggle then ensued as the pair battled for the knife. Horwitz told police that after breaking free from the struggle, Horwitz continued to stab Abby out of fear that he would sexually abuse Horwitz, who claimed that Abby had molested and sexually abused Horwitz in the past.

Horwitz was charged with second-degree murder and was ordered to be held in jail without bail. Despite identifying as a woman, Horwitz was ordered to be housed in the men's jail facility and had been placed under mental health observation.

Before identifying as a woman, Horwitz was a drag queen known as "Menorah Horwitz" in Portland, Oregon, and wrote for leftist local paper the Portland Mercury. Horwitz performed as an Anne Frank impersonator and later became a trans rights activist, as previously reported by journalist Andy Ngo.

During a preliminary hearing, Horwitz's public defender contended that the defendant acted in self-defense. No family members attended the hearing in support of Horwitz. The trial was scheduled for July.