''She was always happy," said Alicia Portillo, one of Angie's friends. "She loved music. She didn't care what people thought of her. She always just wanted to be who she was, and that was female, and to be loved.... Angie gave me the power to not care what people thought of me.''

Alicia Portillo, a lesbian friend of Angie (Justin) Zapata, 18, who was found dead in her apartment with wounds to her head and neck, and her green PT Cruiser is missing. (Rocky Mountain News)

''We want the whole community involved to find this person who hurt my sister and to let everyone be aware that all she wanted was to be beautiful.... We want this violence to end. Transgender people deserve to be treated with respect.''

From a statement released by Angie Zapata's sister, Monica. (ABC News)

''The bottom line is, we can't rule it in [as a hate crime], we can't rule it out.... We believe the victim knew or was an acquaintance with the suspect.... We don't have a problem using 'Angie.' We don't want to offend the family or anyone with gender concerns, but for it to be a good, clean prosecution, we can't identify a victim who doesn't exist.''

Sargeant Joseph Tymkowych, of the Greely, CO police, on the details of the murder and the necessity to identify Angie Zapata by her male birthname, Justin. (ABC News)