Cheryl Avery (born Charles Avery) is a transgender woman.
History[]
Cheryl's parents disowned her when she came out, but she remained close to her younger sister Sarah. She had a boyfriend named Eddie Cappilla, whose brother Joe knew Cheryl's secret. Joe wanted to tell Eddie, but Cheryl hit Joe in the head from behind with a vase, causing him to fall unconscious and begin bleeding. He died at the hospital. Cheryl never meant to kill him and lied to the police about injuring Joe in self-defense. The police realized that Cheryl didn't use self-defense to injure Joe, and that she assaulted him when he tried to leave.
ADA Cabot initially gave a plea bargain for Cheryl, but she was sentenced to a prison for men. Cheryl refused to stop taking female hormones and didn't accept the offer of being placed in protective custody, so Alex took away her plea bargain. At the end of the trial, Cheryl was found guilty and sentenced to a prison for men at Riker's Island. It was reported later that she was gang-raped at Riker's Island and rushed to a hospital. (SVU: "Fallacy")