A knife-wielding thug who has been accused of killing a postal worker can be seen smiling and rolling her eyes in a creepy video shared on social media. A clip posted on X shows Jaia Cruz, 24, looking at the camera as the lyrics "I'm such a w***e, but not your h**" play in the background. After rolling her eyes and looking to the side, Cruz, wearing a hoodie, smirks before the video ends.
The footage emerged after Cruz was charged with murder on Friday over the killing of 36-year-old letter carrier Ray Hodge. The victim was stabbed in the chest, neck and harms at a deli in Harlem, New York, on Thursday afternoon, according to a criminal complaint.
Police found him wounded on the floor in his postal uniform, according to WSAZ3. Mr Hodge and Cruz allegedly got into an argument while in line at the sandwich counter, workers at the deli said. A store employee said: "They were arguing about who's going to order first, we tried to break them, to separate them.".
It is alleged that Cruz became enraged, spat in Mr Hodge's face before stabbing him in the stomach, the New York Post reported. Cops said Mr Hodge was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he died. Neighbours paid tribute to Mr Hodge, saying he took his children to school every morning, looked after his mother, and loved sports and music. Andrea M, who knew the victim, told Eyewitness News: "I watched him grow up and to see him, you know, go from one stage of life to the next, to better himself, was anything you could ask from a kid.
"Nobody knows what tomorrow is going to bring, so we've got to cherish the people that we love in the moment we have them." Another friend added: "We all loved him in the community. It's a tragic loss...we're going to celebrate him and keep his spirit alive.".
