Three days before Christmas 1997, the body of Westpac Bank employee Samantha Rose was found by her kitchen table at her Kensington home in Sydney's east.
Ms Rose, who volunteered at community radio stations Sydney 2RPH and 2SER, identified as female and was undergoing hormone replacement therapy.
She was found lying on her back with a kitchen chair knocked over near her head, while her apartment was in a state of disarray.
She had major injuries consistent with having suffered "numerous heavy blows to the head with a blunt object", Senior Counsel Assisting the inquiry Peter Gray said during the commission's opening hearing.
This included a fractured skull and severe bruising.
Police found no evidence of forced entry, suggesting her killer was not a stranger.
Last seen on the afternoon of December 20, police believe she likely died that day or the next.
A 1999 inquest found Ms Rose died of head injuries, inflicted by an unknown person.
No one has ever been charged with her killing and the single person of interest has since died.
Strike Force Parrabell that was set up to analyse 88 cases in NSW for possible bias against members of the LGBTIQ community, recommended Ms Rose's killing remain unsolved.
The strike force also found there was "insufficient information to establish a bias crime".
The inquiry will hear evidence on Ms Rose's case when hearings continue in Sydney on Friday.
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