Transvestite Dies At Voodoo Ceremony

Here’s a bizarre story from Philly.com about a man-living-as-a-female who died at a voodoo ritual, which took place at a home in Gloucester Township, New Jersey.

Lucille Hamilton paid $621 to have her “spiritual grime” removed by a voodoo high priest in an ordinary townhouse on a winding street in Camden County. Hamilton, 21, a male living as a woman, flew in on Friday from her home in Little Rock, Ark., to the house on Loch Lomond Drive in Gloucester Township, friends said, to take part in a three-day spiritual cleansing referred to on the priest’s Web site as “Lave Tet.” By Saturday night Hamilton was dead, and authorities are awaiting results of an autopsy and toxicology tests to determine exactly what happened.

Altar at Houngan's House

Miller said Hamilton was a devout Catholic, with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe tattooed on her foot, but was also interested in voodoo. She said Hamilton – who used the name Lucie Marie on Facebook – had been saving money to travel to New Jersey, but was not planning to undergo a sex change. The voodoo priest identifies himself as Houngan Hector on his Gade Nou Leve Society Web site (since taken down – here is the cache), which says the three-day Lave Tet ceremony was to begin Friday.

Houngan Hector, Haitian Voodoo Priest

Lave Tet (from the French laver tete) literally means head-washing, according to several Haitian voodoo Web sites. Hector’s site describes it as a ceremony that begins with cleansing, after which participants lie in a “badji,” or altar room, before being “baptized.” Hector, who claims he was initiated as a senior priest in Haiti, said Lave Tet “improves the ability for possession, clears the mind, clarifies abilities for seeing, and substantially improves the life.”

Someone called 911 from the home about 11 p.m. Saturday. Police found eight people there – including Hamilton, who was pronounced dead at the scene, then taken to the regional medical examiner’s office in Woodbury, Gloucester County. Seven others, including Hector, were taken to Virtua Hospital in Berlin Township, Camden County, as a precaution and later released. The New Jersey Division of Youth & Family Services was notified because young children were in the house, Laughlin said.

Houngan Hector MySpace Photo

Here is Houngan Hector’s bio, in his words:

(it’s long and tedious… we’ll shorten it down)

My name is Houngan Hector, and I am an Asogwe priest of Haitian Vodou. I lead Sosyete Gade Nou Leve (“Watch Us Rise Society”) which is based in New Jersey, and has members around the world.
…Both sides of my family have always served the Spirits. My mother was deemed to be the one to inherit my Grandmother’s Guides. My mother, however, did not want to work La Obra as it had been decided for her. During my mother’s pregnancy with me, my Grandmother’s Guides informed my mother of their plans. Since she would not serve, the child that was in her would! I would be blessed with spiritual abilities to see and help others with their problems.
…I am told that at the hospital, directly after my birth, my Grandmother’s Guides mounted her
…At the tender age of seven, I was mounted by an ancestor. This was the official beginning of my spiritual journey.
…Little did I know that I was actually serving the Lwa of Haitian Vodou!
…I have over 15 years of experience helping individuals resolve their issues, and well over 9 years of helping people through the means of the Haitian Vodou tradition. Having gotten individuals out of jail, brought lovers back, and improved people’s financial situation, I keep myself humble remembering it is not I who does it. It is God and Ginen who resolves.

Sure seems to be a lot of mounting going on.

The bottle on the right must help with the spiritual mounting

Here is his MySpace Page featuring some of that voodoo he do.

We can only think of Ween at a time like this: Voodoo lady, shaking that stick and drivin’ me crazy. Doing that stuff that you do…messin’ me up with your voodoo!