A 24-year-old transgender New Yorker has been indicted on second-degree murder charges in connection with the stabbing death of a United States mail carrier during his lunch break earlier this month, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Jaia Cruz, the 6-foot-4-inch suspect also known as Alvin, allegedly started an argument with 36-year-old postal carrier Ray Hodge III as they stood in line to order lunch sandwiches on Jan. 2.
Cruz allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed Hodge repeatedly in front of horrified customers, fellow postal carriers and staff at the restaurant on Manhattan’s Lenox Avenue, between West 118th and West 119th Streets.
MAILMAN’S FAMILY BREAKS SILENCE AFTER FATHER OF 2 KILLED ON LUNCH BREAK
Hodge suffered knife wounds to his chest, neck and arm, authorities said.
Cruz walked home after the attack and was arrested later.
SUSPECT CHARGED IN FATAL STABBING OF POSTAL WORKER IN NYC DELI OVER SPOT IN LINE HAS HISTORY OF KNIFE VIOLENCE
Hodge was pronounced deceased at Harlem Hospital. He was a father of two whose colleagues at the USPS remembered him as a “great, kind soul” on social media.
“We are extremely hurt and saddened by the loss of my brother,” his brother Ed Rice told Fox News Digital previously. “He was a remarkable person and touched a lot of people in a positive manner. We have been silent in our grieving and are handling my brother’s affairs.”
Cruz has a criminal record that includes prior acts of knife violence, including a mugging.
NYPD MAKES ARREST IN FATAL STABBING OF ON-DUTY POSTAL WORKER
As the New York case moves forward, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Postal Service’s law enforcement arm, is asking anyone with additional information on the case to call investigators at 1-877-876-2455.
“This alleged broad-daylight stabbing shook the neighborhood, including the deli workers and customers who witnessed the attack,” Bragg said. “My thoughts are with those grieving the loss of Ray Hodge, a postal worker and beloved father of two.”
The family created a GoFundMe campaign to cover funeral costs.
“Ray touched the lives of everyone he interacted with,” the fundraiser reads. “Ray was a hardworking, honorable and good man whose life epitomized his values and his willingness to help others. Ray touched the lives of so many, and we all are truly blessed to have known and had the opportunity to love him.”
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