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Man accused of killing 3 in Manhattan stabbing spree pleads not guilty to murder charges
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Brittany Kriegstein
Published Dec 19, 2024
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Brittany Kriegstein / Gothamist
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Dec 19, 2024
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The man who allegedly stabbed three people to death in a string of unprovoked attacks on a single morning in Midtown last month pleaded not guilty on Thursday to murder and other charges.
Ramon Rivera, 51, was arraigned in Manhattan Supreme Court on an indictment charging him with one count of murder in the first degree, three counts of murder in the second degree and burglary in the third degree. He appeared in an orange Department of Correction jumpsuit, with bushy hair and a black and gray beard. A Spanish translator interpreted the proceedings for him as he sat silently.
Rivera entered his plea of not guilty through his attorney, Erin Darcy of the nonprofit Legal Aid Society, who said he had a virtual psychiatric examination while he was at Bellevue Hospital last month. She said the findings of that exam would be discussed at a court proceeding on Jan. 16 and that she plans to defend him by citing the results of the evaluation.
Rivera’s apparent mental state was a subject of much discussion among top officials, including Mayor Eric Adams and lawmakers at all levels of government in the city, following the Nov. 18 killings. Rivera, who police said had been living at a homeless shelter in Kips Bay, is accused of killing two men and one woman in a case that shocked New Yorkers and led to calls for reforming the city’s mental health and shelter systems.
It was also part of an uptick in fatal stabbings in the five boroughs in November, with stabbing homicides exceeding shooting homicides by double, according to police. Experts told Gothamist that was rare and could reflect a spike in mental health crises among suspected assailants.
Judge Felicia Menin ordered Rivera to return to jail and be held without bail, as prosecutors had requested. They said Rivera “gave a full confession” and admitted to stabbing and killing all three victims. Darcy, Rivera’s attorney, did not directly address that allegation at the arraignment and prosecutors also mentioned his past arrests in various states as reasons to keep him behind bars.
According to the Manhattan district attorney’s office, Rivera broke into an Ace Hardware store on First Avenue near Stuyvesant Town around 5:10 a.m. on the day of the killings and walked out with stolen items, including a small backpack, kitchen knives and construction gloves.
Around 8:20 a.m. that day, prosecutors said, he put on gloves and a gray sweatshirt, pulled the hood over his head, took a knife out of the backpack and placed it in his sweatshirt pocket. He then allegedly used the knife to stab 36-year-old construction worker Angel Lata Landi on West 19th Street in Chelsea, before making his way across Manhattan.
Rivera is also accused of attacking and killing 67-year-old Chang Wang, who was fishing on the East River in Kips Bay, and 36-year-old Wilna Augustin, who was sitting on a park bench near the U.N. headquarters, according to the DA’s office. All three victims were stabbed multiple times, and pronounced dead shortly afterwards, prosecutors said.
Rivera was apprehended later that day by federal security agents in the city, who handed him over to the NYPD, Gothamist previously reported. He is due back in court next month.
Tagged
new york city
manhattan
public safety
midtown
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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