The Manhattan sky was full of daylight, but that light was dimmed by a blood-red stain. 51-year-old homeless Ramon Rivera unleashes his inner darkness on the streets of New York. He killed three innocent people with a pair of sharp knives.
Rivera admitted responsibility for the murder. During interrogation, he said he targeted the victims because they were 'lonely' and 'confused'.
Details of the gruesome killing emerged before he appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court. The New York Post reported that the 51-year-old homeless man brutally killed three people without provocation.
The first victim of Rivera's attack last Monday morning was 36-year-old construction worker Angel Gustavo Lata-Landi. The worker from Peekskill was waiting for a work vehicle at a Chelsea location at 8:20 a.m. He died soon after the stabbing.
Lata-Landi's family members were devastated in court. His sister Vartha Land said, 'My brother lost his life while working. We just want justice.'
Assistant District Attorney Megan Joy told the court that three innocent New Yorkers started their day as victims of Rivera's brutality.
Then around 10:30 a.m. Rivera went to New York's East River. He stabbed 67-year-old Chang Wang, who was busy fishing there. Half an hour later, he also stabbed 36-year-old Wilma Augustine near the United Nations building. Doctors declared him brought dead when he was taken to the hospital.
Augustine was a single mother from Haiti. She lived with her son at a shelter called the Americana Inn. A woman who knew him said, 'He was a very good man.'
Rivera was arrested shortly after Augustine's murder. Two knives were found in his possession. It is known that he had mental problems before.
Judge Janet McDonnell ordered him jailed without bail. Rivera did not object to this.
According to sources, Rivera spent a long time in police custody after the murder. Later he woke up and confessed the whole incident.
The incident has raised new questions about extreme insecurity and mental health issues in New York City.
