The mother of a postal worker brutally killed in a Manhattan deli slammed prosecutors for striking a deal to let her son’s maniac killer take a plea deal for only 15 years in prison.
On Wednesday, Ada Rice told The Post that her son’s 24-year-old killer, Jaia Cruz, who pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the January 2 killing of USPS postman Roy Hodge at Joe’s Deli Grocery in Harlem is “going to get out early and kill again” with the deal.
The plea deal comes not more than three months after prosecutors indicted Cruz on a second-degree murder charge for the broad-daylight murder, which comes with a maximum prison sentence of 25 years to life.
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Nonetheless, Hodge’s mom revealed that she was shocked when Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Clerkin reportedly told Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Gregory Carro that Cruz “expresses remorse and has asked to accept responsibility for [Hodge’s] death”. Though prosecutors admitted Hodge’s family repelled the offer.
The mother who recently lost her boy stated that she was “very upset” with how her son’s death was handled in part, especially in relation to the plea deal on Wednesday.
She alleges that the Manhattan DA’s office had informed her that they believed in the strength of the case, especially a video from inside the bodega which allegedly shows Cruz spar with Hodge after he cut her in line at the deli counter.
“Initially, the DA told me that there would be no plea deal because they said they saw the video and [that they’re] satisfied,” Rice said, adding that she regrets why Cruz hasn’t been charged federally.
“I’m upset this person wasn’t charged federally,” she said. “[My son] died in a federal uniform, which makes him a federal employee.”
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Cruz attacked Hodge after he reportedly threw a plastic lemon juice bottle at her before she began stabbing him several times, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors further stated that after Hodge fell to the ground, his killer stood over him and said, “He deserved it.”
Cruz had requested an early resolution in the case. During a hearing on Wednesday, one of Hodge’s supporters had to be escorted out by a court officer because she flipped out at the offer.
“This is not justice!” the woman screamed inside the courtroom, witnesses said. “You said you was happy to see him die!”
Cruz’s attorney, Mitchell Schuman, did not immediately respond to comment regarding the plea deal.
This January, Schuman had accused Hodge of being the aggressor at Cruz’s arraignment, alleging that the video showed him taking off his jacket and striking her first, and that caused Cruz to react and stab him with the knife.
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He added that Hodge berated her with slurs before the altercation. As part of the plea deal, Cruz will also be sentenced to five years of supervised release as she is expected to be sentenced on May 28.
Hodge’s mother now lives with frustration after her son’s killer was handed a decent deal, but will still take solace in knowing he was afforded justice to a decent extent.
