Rita Hester was found mortally wounded inside her first-floor Allston apartment on the evening of November 28, 1998, two days before what would have been her 35th birthday. Neighbors reported a disturbance; officers arrived to find Hester alive with multiple stab wounds and she was taken to Beth Israel Hospital, where she died from cardiac arrest.

Investigators noted no sign of forced entry, leading friends and family to believe Rita may have let her attacker into the apartment. Evidence at the scene included signs of a struggle, a phone ripped from the wall, and a partial shoe print that did not belong to Hester. The case went cold, no arrests have ever been made, and the murder remained unsolved. Family members have said they felt the investigation was hampered by apathy because Rita was a Black transgender woman.

If anyone knew Rita, saw or heard anything around her Allston apartment that night, or has information that could help bring justice, please come forward.