Trans-Identifying Man Who Killed Postal Worker Gets Plea Deal in NYC
A trans-identifying repeat criminal offender who killed US postal worker, Ray Hodge, in Harlem, New York, in January, is expected to receive a 15 year prison sentence that will likely be shortened in length.
The man convicted of killing Hodge, who goes by the feminine name of Jaia Cruz, stabbed Hodge over the matter of who was first in line at a deli. This led to an altercation in which Cruz used a knife to attack a weaponless Hodge.
According to prosecutors, Hodge “threw a bottle at the defendant and then the victim attempted to disarm the defendant. During the physical altercation, [the] defendant stabbed the victim numerous times, resulting in his death.”
Ada Rice, Hodge’s mother, told Fox News Digital about Cruz’s (who she calls a “she”) behavior during the murder and its aftermath:
“She didn’t show remorse initially in the beginning. She said she was happy when she was stabbing him. She stabbed him. She kept stabbing him. She didn’t stab him once, she stabbed him seven times. She said he was gonna be maggot food. She enjoyed it. She told another reporter she hates Black men,” Rice said.
Cruz has a history of violent criminality, including mugging with a knife and stealing a phone and wallet, menacing the public with an unsheathed box cutter, and resisting arrest. He has been arrested five times.
According to Fox News, the second-degree murder charge – to which Cruz pled not guilty – has been reduced by prosecutors to a first-degree manslaughter charge to which Cruz has pleaded guilty as of Wednesday. This change of charge was prompted by Cruz allegedly expressing remorse and accepting responsibility for the killing. Notably, the initial charge could have led to a maximum sentence of life in prison. Hodge’s family hopes the case gets picked up by federal prosecution due to their late son being a federal worker.
Cruz’s formal sentencing from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is expected to be issued on May 29. He is expected to get 15 years of prison time along with five years of post-release supervision. This sentence is likely to get computed, according to Rice, given the trend in the New York correctional system with computed sentences.
“They’re setting an example that it’s OK to murder,” Rice said. “You will be home so quick, because even though it says on paper 15, they’ll never do 15 years, so they won’t think twice about it.”
