Somewhere along the line you’d think he would have had to obtain falsified identity to become a she.
“Unknown to (Thomas Araguz), Nikki Paige Purdue was born Justin Graham Purdue, a male, in Monterey County, Calif.,” the suit claims. It includes a copy of what is purported to be his/her birth certificate listing the June 4, 1975 birth of a boy in Carmel, Calif. to Sheri Lynn Taylor, 20, of Bryan, Texas and Christin Wayne Purdue, 20, who was serving in the U.S. Army.
The suit says Nikki Araguz legally changed her name Feb. 9, 1996 from Justin Graham Purdue to Nikki Paige Purdue.
The suit includes a copy of the name-change request with the statement, “I, Justin Purdue, am a woman with male anatomy, working toward a sex change. I have been living and working as a woman for over one year and seek to make my new name legal and permanent” included in the filing.
A document on file at the Harris County district clerk’s office confirms that a Justin Graham Purdue born June 4, 1975 did change his name to Nikki Paige Purdue. Whether Nikki Araguz is that Nikki Paige Purdue will have to be determined by the court.
Before The Suit
Following the 1996 name change, Nikki Paige Purdue became Nikki Paige Purdue-Mata, but divorced in October 2007 and dropped Mata.
Thomas Araguz divorced Heather Delgado July 3, 2008.
On Aug. 23, 2008, Nikki and Thomas married in Needville.
While married to Thomas, Nikki Araguz began publishing the now-defunct free-distribution magazine Wharton County Living. She entered local politics this year seeking the mayor’s post in the city of Wharton, but in May was defeated 382-118 by city councilman Domingo Montalvo Jr., a retired Wharton volunteer firefighter.
On April 13, 2010, Heather Delgado filed an emergency petition in her divorce claiming Nikki Araguz made appointments with medical and school officials for her children without consent, prevented communication between her and her children and drank at inappropriate times.
On May 14, an agreement was reached giving Delgado medical and educational oversight of her children and ordering she be given telephone access. It prohibits posting of the childrens’ pictures on social networking sites.
The order includes a permanent injunction for Thomas Araguz to “do all that he is able to do to not allow Nikki Purdue Araguz to contact Heather Delgado in a harassing manner.”
Four days later, Heather Delgado requested a protective order against Nikki Araguz, claiming she had been threatened and harassed.
On May 28, that case was dismissed.
Thirty-six days later on July 3, Thomas Araguz, an 11-year veteran of the Wharton Volunteer Fire Department, died after entering the burning warehouse of Maxim Egg’s production facility just outside of Boling. His body was found in the building the next morning.
Funeral services for Araguz were held Sunday, July 11.
The suit seeking to void his marriage to Nikki Araguz was filed the next afternoon.
Wharton County Living Magazine
Thank you to all of my loyal and wonderful friends and clients. I appreciate you greatly, however, due to the sudden death of my beloved husband Thomas Araguz III, I will no longer be publishing the magazine. I am too devestated to do anything, much less publishing a magazine on my own—He was my partner. I love you Honey!!! Be in peace my love.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wharton-County-Living-Magazine/120330531695