Samaria Lopez laughed in court as she was accused of fatally stabbing Jordin Walston outside the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan (NYC). Tensions between the two families heightened, forcing them to be escorted out of the courtroom separately.
On Monday, Lopez (22) “showed a sinister smile and chuckled as she pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the cruel attack that left Jordin Walston dead,” a young 22-year-old mother, reported New York Post.
Graphic surveillance footage captured the moment a woman lunged at Walston during a fight on the sidewalk around 10:15 pm on June 11 near the intersection of West 40th Street and 8th Av, in the Times Square area, a world-famous New York tourist and theater mecca. The area has been plagued by violence as a Hispanic man was beaten to death last month and another man was fatally stabbed yesterday. A Hispanic man was beaten to death last month and another yesterday man was fatally stabbed.
Walston was rushed to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, where she was pronounced dead. The suspect Lopez fled and was arrested by police three days later.. Prosecutors said Monday that Lopez allegedly stabbed the victim twice in the chest, perforating her aorta. They also added that she mocked Walston followingwards as she fought for her life.
Prosecutors revealed that Lopez was on the run and tried to cover her tracks by changing her phone numbers and addresses. At the time of the stabbing, Lopez had nine previous arrests on charges including assault, robbery and drug possession. Her next court appearance for the murder is scheduled for October 22. All charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Generally in New York City Stabbings and cuttings are common. There were 4,493 cases in 2023 through early December, an increase of 6% compared to the same period in 2022. In parallel Arrests for knife crimes increased by almost 30%.
A previous NYPD report warned last August that Fatal stabbings had risen 29% that year in the city compared to before the pandemic (2019). Knife attacks have become increasingly common in various settings: streets, buildings, homes, buses, subways, parties, schools and even commercial establishments and ATM areas.