Woman charged with hate-crime murder in death of man pushed in front of NYC train

[Douglas Carpenter]

Source: NBC NEWS


New York City police officers escort 31-year-old Erika Menendez to a waiting car as she screams in Queens, New York City, on Saturday.

NEW YORK — .Menendez admitted to investigators that she pushed Sunando Sen, a 46-year-old Queens resident, on Thursday because of her hatred of Hindus and Muslims, a feeling that stems from Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Sen was born in India and ran a printing shop. He died Thursday night after being knocked onto the tracks. Police released security camera video showing a woman running from the station.

Police said that Menendez was recognized on the street in Brooklyn by a passer-by who called 911. Patrol officers found and arrested her.

Brown's statement said that while in custody Menendez made incriminating statements, saying that she "pushed a Muslim" onto the tracks. Brown also said:

"The defendant is accused of committing what is every subway commuter's worst nightmare - being suddenly and senselessly pushed into the path of an oncoming train. The victim was allegedly shoved from behind and had no chance to defend himself. Beyond that, the hateful remarks allegedly made by the defendant and which precipitated the defendant's actions can never be tolerated by a civilized society."






Read more: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/29/16235799-woman-charged-with-hate-crime-murder-in-death-of-man-pushed-in-front-of-nyc-train?lite

[Hassin Bin Sober]

1. Hundred bucks says this idiot doesn't know the DIFFERENCE between a Hindu and a Muslim.

Doesn't even KNOW there is a difference.

What a sick fucking joke.

[cosmicone]

3. Two Hundred bucks say she gets most of her info from Fox News. n/t

[Tutonic]

4. Three hundred bucks says she's already trying out that "insanity" defense.

[Aristus]

5. Four hundred bucks says there will be an outpouring of support for her

from the reich-wing, teabag types, a la George Zimmerman...

[denbot]

6. I' ll see your bet..

Spanish surname.. Muhahahaw..

[Pool Hall Ace]

27. Yes, and it's Menendez.

Is she related to these charmers?

[Honeycombe8]

7. $500 bucks says she'll get edumacated about different ethnicities in prison. nt

[Major Nikon]

2. A 31 yr old that has that kind of hate should never see life outside an institution ever again

[KeepItReal]

8. Are the Police or the reporter adding the "hates Hindus" part?

If she thought she pushed a Muslim onto the tracks, where would a Hindu reference come from?

[lexw]

9. She made her statement, now she gets to live with it—forever...in a small world. Friggin' jerk.

[Drunken Irishman]

10. She related to the Menendez brothers?

[marshall]

11. Racism on all sides

No one group has a monopoly on it.

[lunatica]

12. I feel so sad for Sunando Sen's family

New York City is such a great ethnically mixed city. Menendez certainly isn't an example of New Yorkers. I'm glad they caught her before she could commit more horrible crimes. Hate is never satiated.

[marble falls]

13. I bet she's on heavy medication she takes irregularly and lives at least part time on the streets...

and this is the type of person folks want to torture just a bit more. There are two victims here.

[SoCalMusicLover]

14. She's A Victim?

So I guess every homeless person who has a prescription(or other) drug problem, has a ready excuse whenever they go nuts and kill somebody for no reason at all.

Adam Lanza had issues too, he he also a victim?

[marble falls]

25. You know she's a homeless person who has a "prescription(or other) drug problem", how?

We aren't talking about Adam Lanza who, its been alleged in the news outlets reporting may have been re-acting to his mother looking for long term residential treatment for his well documented craziness. We're talking about this crime. She seems and has been described as semi-homeless and having been treated or at least diagnosed with some form of mental illness. I think it is highly likely she needs treatment in a treatment center as opposed to jail where far, far too many get their their first contact with mental health treatment - usually a prison within the prison and huge doses of Thorazine like drugs.

We've allowed the declining funding in public mental health programs and toss these people including huge numbers of combat vets highly trained in screwing with someone from manually to with automatic assault weapons. We've turned out or allowed to be turned out 10,000's of dangerous folks to the streets. When the tipping point arrives, how safe will we be? And then we allow hatred to be preached by FOX and Teabillies and so-called religious leaders and fake "social"
Conservatives to feed hatred of Moslems and Arabs. Whether they're Moslem or Arab or not.

[SoCalMusicLover]

29. It's Early, But Stories Coming Out About Her History

She's been known to have mental problems and been on meds for a long, long, long time.

People saw the warning signs, like with that AHole who shot the firemen, yet she was allowed to just exist.

Well now she doesn't deserve to exist, and I hope she is in jail for the majority, if not all, of her remaining life.

Why this big fascination with rehabilitating people, especially killers. She served no purpose on this planet before, and she will definitely serve no purpose in the future. Unfortunately for that kind man, she was allowed in public, and was able to intentionally take his life.

[marble falls]

30. Eugenics without direct cause of death by putting her in prison ...

for life all the while she's listening to a drummer no-one else can hear. Shit canning her is a little too extreme in her case because while everybody knew how nuts she was, no-one took responsibility for doing anything to protect either her or the dead victim.

My point is there is a direct correlation between how diminished her capacity was vs. some heroin addicted crack-headed pickpocket shoving a crippled grandmother in front of an express freight while stealing grandma's purse in front of 15 young grandchildren. She's not garbage and there are more appropriate response than long or forever years in a prison.

[polly7]

15. No sympathy here for this woman who may or may not have a mental disorder.

If she's a dx'd schizophrenic, she'll have help monitoring her meds under the care of others ... doesn't matter to me whether it's prison or a mental health institution. Some things are just too heinous for pity.

[marble falls]

24. My experiance with the mentally ill and the take I got say otherwise....

Its heinous how many folks we have on the street with no medication, sometimes no diagnosis and 99% no therapy beyond picking up a prescription however regularly, a 15 minute meeting with a casework overloaded social worker (who may have actually graduated in another discipline) that may or may not happen.

The difference between the law and justice is mercy and extenuating circumstances that at least considers all the relevant aspects, like if the accused is operating in a diminished capacity. Please tell me you don't think 30yr, life with no parole or execution are suitable punishments for minors?

[formercia]

16. People of Color killing People of Color

Jay Gould would be proud.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101786160

[Peregrine Took]

17. Crazy, violent people should be institutionalized as they used to be.

I was at an el station in Chicago many years ago when a man was pushed onto the tracks as the train could be heard roaring in.
He was pushed by a teenager who took off like a bat out of hell up the el stairs.

Only through the fast reaction of a couple of men on the platform who ran over and scooped the guy up was he saved.

[Odin2005]

18. I bet she's a big fan of Pamela Gellar.

[Purveyor]

26. +1 eom

[MisterP]

19. wanna bet that the DA and judge will be forced to move over harassment as freedom-hatin' "dhimmis"?

[davidpdx]

20. An absolutely senseless crime

What bothered me the most about the Yahoo version of the story was at the end:

Such subway deaths are rare, but other high-profile cases include the 1999 fatal shoving of aspiring screenwriter Kendra Webdale by a former psychiatric patient. That case led to a state law allowing for more supervision of mentally ill people living outside institutions.

I understand that was a high profile case, but was it necessary to bring it up and then say that mentally ill people monitored more carefully. In my opinion this could give the false impression to people that she was mentally ill. We obviously don't know for sure, but she took responsibility for the crime and told the police why. That sounds like a person who is cognizant of what they have done.

I'm not familiar with NY law, but is a life sentence truly a life sentence or is it without the possibility of parole? I feel strongly she should never see daylight again.

[drlindaphd]

21. Very horrific crime, but..

As a psychologist, I am sick and tired of the stigma that the mentally ill carry when it comes to being violent or committing crimes. The percentage of people who are mentally ill and also violent is no greater than those who are notmentally ill and are violent and commit crimes.

There is no connection to being mentally ill and being violent or committing crimes. This is a cruel and prejudiced stigma and it is just as horrible as judging a person by the color of their skin or their national origin.

Please stop and please discourage others from doing this.

[liberalhistorian]

23. You are absolutely correct and

I share your weariness of such a stigma. I'd thought we were making progress as a society over the past couple of decades, but I think we've been going rapidly backwards on that for several years now and it's only going to get a lot worse now with Newtown and other recent horrors. Law enforcement and the courts too often already treat all mentally ill as criminals and the criminalization of the mentally ill has been ongoing for some time now. After Newtown, it's only going to get worse. A LOT worse. All this hoopla about offering them better care and help is just bullshit. We've always been a reactionary nation where things like this are concerned, and this will be no different. And, as the mother of an aspie, I am especially worried, nervous and frightened.

[gasser85]

22. Just think

how many more people she could've killed had she had an assault rifle. People with guns don't kill people...People with trains kill people.

[Liberal_in_LA]

28. Seems she's very mentally ill

[Judi Lynn]

31. You're right. New story: Suspect in NYC subway death arrested before

Suspect in NYC subway death arrested before
By COLLEEN LONG, Associated Press | December 31, 2012 | Updated: December 31, 2012 6:45pm

NEW YORK (AP) — The family of a woman accused of shoving a man to his death in front of a subway train called police several times in the past five years because she had not been taking prescribed medication and was difficult to deal with, authorities said Monday.

Erika Menendez, 31, was being held without bail on a murder charge in the death of Sunando Sen. She told police she pushed the 46-year-old India native because she thought he was Muslim, and she hates them, according to prosecutors.

They had never met before she suddenly shoved him off the subway platform because she "thought it would be cool," prosecutors said. The victim was Hindu, not Muslim.

It wasn't clear whether Menendez had a diagnosed mental condition. But her previous arrests and legal troubles paint a portrait of a troubled woman.

More:
http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Suspect-in-NYC-subway-death-arrested-before-4156423.php