Emotions ran high in a Manhattan courtroom Thursday as a transgender woman accused of fatally stabbing a postal worker to death at a Harlem deli earlier this month pleaded not guilty to a murder indictment.
While prosecutors alleged that Jaia Cruz murdered Ray Hodge on Jan. 3 in an act of rage, the suspect’s defense attorney claimed that she acted in self-defense after the victim berated and spat on her.
That drew the audible shock of audience members — which included transgender rights advocates, fellow postal workers and those who knew Hodge — present for the arraignment hearing on Jan. 23 At one point, one person in the audience cried out, “You are kidding me!” over the self-defense claim.
Some individuals could not contain their emotions, forcing court officers to remove several of them from the courtroom.
Meanwhile, Hodge’s family members said the defendant’s account of events simply does not match the man they knew.
Prosecutors said the bloodshed unfolded at about 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 3 inside Joe’s Deli Grocery at 168 Lenox Ave.
According to the charges, Hodge was at the store’s sandwich counter when Cruz cut in line, leading a dispute between the pair. After a witness separated them, Cruz allegedly went into their bag while Hodge’s back was turned, retrieved a knife and threatened him with it.
Prosecutors said Cruz then allegedly threw a plastic bottle at Hodge before lunging at him, stabbing him multiple times in the chest, neck, and arms. After a struggle in which Hodge attempted to wrestle the weapon away from her, he collapsed. A witness reported hearing Cruz remark: “He deserved it.”
Hodges was rushed to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“This alleged broad-daylight stabbing shook the neighborhood, including the deli workers and customers who witnessed the attack,” said District Attorney Bragg. “My thoughts are with those grieving the loss of Ray Hodge, a postal worker and beloved father of two.”
After her arrest, Cruz reportedly admitted to police that she stabbed Hodge with a knife she carried for “protection.” Cruz also allegedly referred to Hodge as a racial slur.
Cruz’s defense attorney, Mitchell Schuman, explained Cruz’s claims further at Thursday’s hearing. Schuman alleged that Hodge verbally berated her, calling her homophobic slurs.
He also claimed that Hodge was not near the sandwich counter and initiated the conflict.
“He rolls up his sleeves, and then he hits my client, and every time he approaches her, she backs up. And he approaches her again, she backs up until she’s all the way at the refrigerator and then when he’s still berating her and calling her a f**got and a tranny, she spat at him,” Schuman said. “You can see on the video that she’s saying to him, leave me alone. But he doesn’t leave her alone. He attacks her again.”
Cruz was indicted on second-degree murder, and faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
