Tipsheet

Meet the Would-Be 'Trans' Shooter Who Wanted to Kill 'Transphobes'

Mia Cathell
Mia Cathell  |  January 18, 2024 2:15 PM

Last week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) apprehended a would-be "transgender" shooter who wanted to mass murder "transphobes." However, the FBI didn't swiftly nab the gunman until discovering months later that the "indigenous" suspect, a self-described "Nazi dominatrix," was posting racist, antisemitic content on social media vilifying blacks, Jews, and immigrants.

The few media outlets that did cover the arrest also opted to focus on the Nazi flag-waving suspect's white nationalist ideology and downplay his "trans"-fueled bloodlust. Both The Oregonian and CourtWatch referred to the "transgender" as an "Oregon woman." 

Elizabeth Ballesteros West, formerly Francisco Frank Paramo, of Cottage Grove, Oregon, was federally charged Friday with "interstate threatening communications," according to a U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) criminal complaint obtained by Townhall.

DOJ criminal complaint charging West | Source: U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon

Facebook Threat

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According to a 23-page affidavit authored by an FBI special agent who specializes in behavioral threat assessment and terrorism-related crimes, the federal law enforcement agency was alerted all the way back on September 26, via an anonymous tip, that West was threatening to carry out a mass shooting at his workplace and accusing coworkers, his apparent targets, of "transphobia."

In his threat posted to a Facebook "transwoman" support group, West claimed he was being "bullied by trans phobic a**holes" at work. At the "end of my rope" and "left with no alternative," West indicated that he intended to "go out in a blaze of glory."

"Well, I wish I had better news to tell but what I'm writing to you right now is the fact that I'm at the end of my rope[.] I’m probably gonna get fired from his job. I'm […] supposed to be called into the office this morning so I wonder what lies are going to spew in order to justify firing me. I'm too old to keep looking for jobs and I've had it up to here being bullied by trans phobic a**holes I am left with no alternative. I'll probably have to go out in a blaze of glory. I've been preparing for this moment a long time at least then I'll be remember I have no family no friends…So there really isn't any point living anymore? I'm just gonna have to do what I have to do and pray for the gods to forgive me," West wrote in a post to the Facebook page "TRANS WOMAN SUPPORT GROUP."

West's Facebook bio strikes a similar tone: "What does it matter? They're just gonna pick on the trans women again."

West attached a photograph of two firearms: one appearing to be a semi-automatic handgun and the other a rifle.

Though the murderous, hardcore Nazi supporter first popped up on the FBI's radar in September, agents didn't arrest West until January following months of surveilling his social media. In the interim, between back-and-forth phone conversations and a casual meet-up with the suspect at a coffee shop, the FBI was seemingly deferring West to seek mental health resources. 

Ultimately, the FBI's surveillance led to authorities discovering in West's possession a stockpile of nearly 30 guns; "tens of thousands of rounds" of ammunition; compiled lists of his so-called "harassers"; and disturbing drawings scribbled in his "black shadow journal," where the leather-clad "transwoman" lived out his vigilante-style fantasies as "The Man SlayerQueen of the Underworld," a sword-wielding superhero "mistress" who mutilates, stabs, and hangs men who purportedly wrong her.

First Interview

On September 28, West was questioned by the FBI regarding the threatening Facebook statements. In the initial interview, West said he was merely "projecting" his suicidal thoughts, telling the responding FBI agents he was dealing with his gender "transitioning."

At the time of the Facebook posting that initiated the FBI investigation, West said he was upset over an interaction he had with an immigrant "transwoman" on Facebook who was on the Oregon Health Plan (OHP)—the state's Medicaid program—even though he and his husband had money. Because their income was unreported, this gender-dysphoric person was able to undergo "gender-reassignment surgery" without paying anything out-of-pocket for the procedure. The news infuriated West, since he desperately wanted to surgically butcher his male genitalia, but he would have to pay for it himself without government-funded financial assistance. While West sees a therapist monthly, he cannot easily pay the co-pays for his therapy sessions either.

West's suicidal ideation has led to him researching brutal ways to kill himself. One video that caught West's attention was footage of a monk setting himself on fire. West said the death looked "peaceful" and it's how he envisioned himself committing suicide.

West said he turns suicidal after "poor engagements" with others. At the last job, West's wages meant he couldn't cash in on Oregon's health benefits, causing him to go into psychological distress. As a result, he desired additional time off for his mental health, more than his ex-employer was allowing, which generated "a lot of stress" for West, "forcing" him into feeling homicidal.

West said he wrote the Facebook post in a "dissociative state," but "quitting" the job provided mental relief. West had been hospitalized on three separate occasions; each time was after an altercation. During his hospital stays, he was diagnosed with a mix of mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder; dissociative identity disorder (DID), which was previously called multiple personality disorder; and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He is on medication, but West felt that the meds stop working. 

West insisted he did not have any plans to harm himself or anyone else and that he was feeling "hopeful," for now.

Second Interview

On October 13, the FBI followed up with West over the phone. During the follow-up chat, West said he was fired from his previous job and "taking time off to regroup." When he was working, West wasn't making enough money to pay for his counseling services. The now-unemployed West believed he could reinstate his OHP benefits and focus on his mental wellness. West reiterated he didn't plan on harming himself or others and he hadn't researched active shooters. So, he was left to his own devices.

Over the course of the investigation, a close associate of West worked with the FBI to provide information about his personal history. In 1993, West was arrested for placing a shotgun in his father's mouth and pulling the trigger, but the gun failed to go off, the source said. The FBI agents confirmed that West was charged with a felony, but the case was later dropped in California.

West told the friend-turned-informant that, during Christmas of 2022, he played the lethal game of Russian roulette with himself. West verified to the FBI he had placed a bullet in a revolver, but claimed he was playing in another "dissociative state." Based on their relation, the FBI source believed West has the "potential to kill others," easy access to weapons, and loads of ammunition.

Neo-Nazi Affiliations

Per the FBI informant, approximately nine years ago, while West was in a relationship, he and his boyfriend attended neo-Nazi rallies in an unknown spot somewhere in the state of Washington, and the couple hosted Nazi rallygoers at their residence.

West discussed his boyfriend dying in 2017 and that he has struggled to "find a partner since." West recounted an experience with a recent lover. At the partner's home, the partner snapped at West to clean up the grounds. To which, West reportedly responded, "I am not your n****r." West used the N-word with the FBI when referring to black people, the affidavit alleges.

West recalled an incident in 1990 when he was assaulted by three black males, an attack that instilled an anti-black "personal prejudice" within him, he asserted. West also feels that black customer service representatives "misgender" him intentionally.

West's dead boyfriend had owned a Nazi flag. Following his passing, West found the Nazi flag and kept it. West has "mixed feelings" about Nazi sentiments, the FBI affidavit says, is "juxtaposed" on the political climate in Israel, and thinks the Israelis treat Palestinians in the same manner that the Nazis persecuted the Jews during the Holocaust. West is also angry that U.S. immigrants enjoy welfare and food stamps on his tax dollars, yet he is unable to benefit from the same social programs.

In November, the FBI began tracking West's alarming activity on X's platform. There, he describes himself as a "Nazi dominatrix from Hell, who is tired of the blackening of America and Europe and ready to stand up to the Black orcs and the Jewish wizards." Previously, West's profile picture featured a Nazi flag, and his X biography stated he's "an older woman trying to find her way." 

On X's site, he idolized Adolf Hitler, whom West regards as a "great hero" and "absolutely right about the Jews," and used a slew of racial slurs to disparage black people as "those creatures" that are "definitely not human." West also fantasized about lynching young black boys. "[W]hen it gets too big, we could always hang it," West replied to a photograph of a young black child locked inside of a birdcage. "[I]f we could just get back to basics," West wrote of extrajudicial hangings. Among the suspect's other anti-black, antisemitic X posts:

Third Interview

On December 29, the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) flagged to the FBI an application submitted by West for a long gun.

As West's behavior was escalating, the FBI investigators attempted to conduct a third interview but failed repeatedly. The agents called twice and left a message each time requesting a call back. On December 30, they tried again, and the call went unanswered.

Later that day, one of the FBI agents called West under the pretext of being an employee with the local electric company. West picked up, and the FBI moved to subpoena X's records. Eventually, on January 3, West left a voicemail for the FBI agent, requesting a meeting. The FBI agents rendezvoused with West at a nearby coffee shop, where the violent neo-Nazi acknowledged that he hates Jews, blacks, and immigrants. West admitted that his X page is full of hateful rhetoric he consumes and posts daily. 

West excitedly explained that he has a primary care physician who is assisting him with the process of pursuing "gender-reassignment surgery" and recently received notice that he had been approved for a consultation on the "sex-change" operation.

West found a new job in Eugene, which he feels is "safer" than the last, because there are no blacks or Mexicans to interact with. His gender identity is also recognized at this place of employment. While on OHP, the indigent West was receiving medical attention from a psychiatrist as well as a counselor. However, once he receives paychecks from his current gig, he will no longer be able to afford his mental health providers. West is also a part of several support groups, but he will not be able to attend the group therapy with his work schedule. West intends on staying at this job for at least a year in order to apply for disability.

West desires someone to take care of him, has no savings, and worries about affording retirement, the FBI affiant observed.

West's psychiatrist wanted him to check into a hospital for an extended stay, but West felt he couldn't leave his animals behind. 

FBI Search

West told the FBI agents that he scribbles in a journal, which he nicknamed his "black shadow book," to vent his feelings. The FBI agents asked West if he ever journaled about who he would shoot or target. "No," he said, denying keeping a hitlist.

On January 9, the FBI executed a search warrant on West's property, recovering a pistol from his vehicle and seizing about 11 handguns, 16 rifles, tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition, firearm accessories, a black book that matched the description of West's "black shadow" journal, and a black-and-white composition notebook documenting lists of those who have "harassed" him, from his residence. Inside the notebook were colorful ink sketches of rifles and drawings of what appears to be hallways.

Agents also discovered 48 drawings of West's "veil mistress," a woman dressed in superhero attire, wielding a sword and stabbing, hanging, mutilating, and killing men, most of whom West's imaginative character calls "n****rs." One of the handrawn fantasies is titled, "That's Ms. Wolf to you! The Man SlayerQueen of the under world," a reference to his former "trans" alter-ego.

In late 2003, West had legally changed his birth name to "Wyona Wolf" before lodging another name-change petition two decades later in October 2023 to what it is now, Oregon Judicial Department identity records reviewed by Townhall reveal.

His journal, which depicts West's dreams of turning into a black boy who is hit by a car and dies, stores years-old writings. The first page reads: "Blood, death, self torture self hatred wicked thoughts of mass murder at the gloved hands of the veil mistress."

During the raid, instead of remaining detained, West was released by the FBI to his mental health provider for a pre-scheduled appointment. West had made a plan to check himself into a hospital on December 21, but his petsitting arrangements to care for his animals while he was hopsitalized fell through, so he did not admit himself after all, as previously directed by his psyciatrist.

West told the FBI he would consent to allowing the agents to speak to his mental health providers "in order to ensure [he] was receiving the best care." On January 11, West's mental health professional told the FBI agent that if he stopped receiving mental health treatment or if weapons were easily accessible to him, he would be a danger to himself and the community.

West, who does not have a concealed handgun license, falsely told the FBI that he had sold most of the firearms from his collection, noting that just a dozen or so were remaining in his personal arsenal. Although, he emphasized, the cache of guns were more of an interest to him during his "boy days" as opposed to his "girl days," which West declared he is living in now.

West declined the FBI's offer to voluntarily relinquish his weapons to the sheriff's office, arguing that the weapons were his lifeline and "money in the bank," if he ever needed to sell them. West mentioned previously selling his firearms to a local Cabela's shop.

Eventual Arrest

Based on the months-long investigation, the FBI affiant found probable cause to believe West's original Facebook post constitutes an "interstate threat." The agent cited his racist X ramblings demonstrating "clear violent animus toward specific minority groups," along with a display of firearms "indicating a willingness to elevate" his threatening conduct to real-world harm. West's statement, "I've been preparing for this moment a long time," is also corroborated by West's journal entries and drawings.

From there, West was arrested and booked on January 12 into Lane County Jail, where his sex is listed as "female" on the inmate roster. If convicted of the federal crime 18 U.S.C. § 875(c), West may be fined or imprisoned for less than five years—or both.

West's mugshot is not publicly viewable because a soft-on-crime Oregon law that's sympathetic to suspects currently prohibits the public release of a booking photo unless the subject has been convicted, with some exceptions. Since the state legislation's passage, which was celebrated by career criminals, the Democrat-pushed package has protected the privacy of serial offenders and impeded important journalistc reporting on far-left political violence that frequently plagues riot-ravaged Portland.

Notably, the FBI used West's preferred "she/her" pronouns through the affidavit, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon, where the charging documents were filed, did not publicize West's criminal case on its webpage listing DOJ press releases.

In the past, West worked for Eugene-based cereal company Golden Temple. Following the mass firing of employees in 2010, when the business was bought out by a larger food manufacturer, West accused Golden Temple of identity-based discrimination, claiming that gender, not the Great Recession-hit economy, was behind the termination, a trans forum reported. "Back in 2007 is when I came out as being a transgender female," then-"Wolf" told KEZI 9 News. "The HR department at Golden Temple was very supportive of me. They assured me that I'd be taken care of, and that any type of harassment against me would not be tolerated."