A transgender woman who fatally stabbed a USPS postal worker at a New York City deli was formally sentenced to 15 years in prison for the killing, sparking an uproar in the courtroom among family members.
Jaia Cruz, 24, pleaded guilty last month to manslaughter in connection with the stabbing death of 36-year-old Ray Hodge III.
Cruz fatally stabbed Hodge at a Manhattan deli after a dispute broke out between the pair over who was next in line.
A deli worker told CBS News that Cruz became infuriated with Hodge over their line placement while Hodge was at the counter ordering a sandwich. Prosecutors say Cruz started an argument with him and spat on him. After Hodge threw a lemon juice bottle in response, Cruz pulled out a knife and stabbed the father of two seven times.
In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors dropped the second-degree murder charge Cruz faced and guaranteed Cruz would only have to serve 15 years in prison for manslaughter. Cruz, who has a criminal history of knife violence, could have faced 25 years in prison if convicted at trial.
The decision drew outrage and scathing criticism from loved ones close to Hodge.
“In 15 years, her life goes on. Ray Hodge III, dead. Gone. Not coming back. So I have a problem with that,” Hodge’s mother, Ada Rice, said in April. “I just feel cheated. My son was murdered.”
During Cruz’s sentencing hearing, the mother of Hodge’s children addressed the court and denounced the plea agreement.
“This is pure evil. This is a disgusting excuse for a human being, and you allowed a second chance,” the mother of Hodges’ children told Judge Gregory Carro, per the New York Post. “When people like this are allowed plea bargains, you get broken families, you get us. I’m not happy with 15 years. To all these postal workers, be careful when you are out there working your route.”
Judge Carro called the stabbing a “senseless killing over a trivial misunderstanding,” but pointed to the plea deal and explained that “proving someone’s intent to kill is always difficult.”
An attorney for Cruz accused Hodge of escalating the dispute at the deli when he called Cruz a “slur” about “her gender identity.” Cruz’s lawyer listed medications that Cruz takes to maintain a different gender and requested that his client be placed in a women’s jail.
It’s unclear at this time where Cruz will serve out her sentence.
