A New York anti-violence group says an alleged murderer accused of cackling while slaughtering a USPS worker should be spared jail because she is a transgender woman of color.
Jaia Cruz, 24, has been charged with the Jan. 2 murder of USPS employee Ray Hodges, 36.
The two got into an argument after Hodges accused her of interrupting the sandwich line at Joe's Grocery in the Bronx.
“I hope he's maggot food,” Cruz, 24, told investigators in a recorded statement, according to court documents obtained by the NY Daily News. 'I killed him laughing. Oh well. I'll piss on his grave.'
But now the New York City Anti-Violence Project has argued that Cruz should not be locked up pending trial because of the threats she could face in prison because of her gender identity and race.
“Jaia is accused of a terrible crime,” the group wrote on Facebook. “And she deserves safety in the jail at Rikers, as well as access to bail.”
The group, led by Audacia Ray, said Cruz had previously been the victim of violence on the streets of New York.
“Last summer, a video of her being brutally beaten on the street in broad daylight circulated on social media,” the statement said.
A New York anti-violence group says murder accused Jaia Cruz should be granted bail because of the threat of violence against her as a trans woman of color
Cruz, 24, has been charged with the Jan. 2 murder of Ray Hodges, 36
“In the week since the incident, the media misgendered, mocked, and dehumanized Jaia Cruz in a blatant display of cis supremacy, misogyny, and transmisogyny.”
The group highlighted statistics that claim trans women of color are highly vulnerable to violence behind bars.
Cruz has pleaded not guilty to Hodges' murder and is being held without bail.
Prosecutors say she fatally stabbed the postal worker after they got into an argument in line at the deli.
Hodges began shouting homophobic slurs and punched Cruz three times before pulling the knife, according to court documents.
“I spit on him because he called me,” Cruz's confession reads. 'I called him a dirty monkey. You said hurtful words, so I said hurtful words to you.
“I told him, 'Come to me and I will kill you,'” Cruz told investigators. 'There are no mothers who will lay hands on me anymore.
Cruz claimed she blacked out during the altercation at Joe's Grocery in Manhattan
The New York City Anti-Violence Project, led by Audacia Ray, pictured, said Cruz has previously encountered violence on the streets of New York
“He tried to harass me because I'm trans and I poked him.”
Hodges was rushed to Harlem Hospital, where he later died.
Cruz has insisted she blacked out during the fight.
“My madness has no rhyme or rhythm,” Cruz told prosecutors. “I said to him, 'If you raise your hand, I will stab you in the king's jugular.' You're attacking me.'
Witnesses suggested Cruz appeared high or drunk at the time and said they tried to intervene, but neither side would back down.