A woman accused of fatally stabbing a U.S. Postal Service worker inside a Harlem deli was sentenced to 15 years in prison after admitting her guilt, officials said Friday.
Jaia Cruz learned her fate during a sentencing hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday. At least 10 years was shaved off her sentence, which was part of a plea agreement made in April — a deal that angered victim Ray Hodges’ loved ones, who felt the sentence was too light.
If she had been convicted of murder at trial, Cruz, 24, could have received 25 years to life in prison.
During the sentencing hearing, Hodges’ relatives called Cruz “pure evil” and a “disgusting excuse for a human being,” as they gave impact statements in front of Judge Gregory Carro, according to the New York Post.
Cruz’s attorney claimed his client, a transgender woman, lashed out against Hodges because the 36-year-old postal worker had made a slur “about her gender identity.”
Hodges and Cruz were waiting in the sandwich line at the deli counter at Joe’s Grocery, on Lenox Ave. near W. 118th St., on Jan. 2 when the postal worker accused her of cutting the line.
Cruz claimed that Hodges had ridiculed her with homophobic remarks and struck her several times before she pulled a knife and fatally stabbed him.
She showed no remorse for her actions when interviewed by detectives at the 28th Precinct in Harlem.
“I hope he’s maggot food,” Cruz told detectives, according to court documents. “I killed him laughing. Oh, well. I’ll piss on his grave.”
Hodges had struck Cruz at least three times during the deli fight before she stabbed him, she claimed.
“I told him, ‘You come to me and I’ll kill you,’” Cruz told investigators. “No motherf—ers are going to put their hands on me no more.
“He tried to mess with me because I’m trans, and I poked him up,” Cruz said. Medics rushed Hodges to Harlem Hospital, where he died.
Cruz stands a towering 6 feet 5 inches tall. Witnesses to the murder described her as huge, and said she appeared to be high on drugs during her confrontation with Hodges.
One witness said that she and another woman made multiple attempts to break up the fight but that neither combatant was willing to back down. Cruz fled to her apartment, located on W. 118th St. just a few doors down from the deli, before her arrest later that night, police said.
“This alleged broad-daylight stabbing shook the neighborhood, including the deli workers and customers who witnessed the attack,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said when Cruz was indicted. “My thoughts are with those grieving the loss of Ray Hodges, a postal worker and beloved father of two.”
Hodges, who joined the U.S. Postal Service in 2022 and worked out of the Morningside Post Office, was remembered as an “honorable man” by friends and family.
“Ray was a great person,” his brother told The News the day after Hodges’ death. “He was an honorable man. He took care of his family and everybody. Respectful.”
