Postal worker’s alleged killer Jaia Cruz told NYPD, ‘I killed him laughing,’ after deli slaying

The pistillate accused of stabbing U.S. Postal Service worker Ray Hodges to decease wrong a Harlem deli admitted to his execution successful a stunning confession made hours aft the killing, telling investigators she laughed arsenic her unfortunate laic dying, tribunal documents show.

“I anticipation he’s maggot food,” Jaia Cruz, 24, told detectives successful a connection recorded astatine the 28th Precinct stationhouse hours aft the Jan. 2 stabbing, according to tribunal documents.

“I killed him laughing,” she said. “Oh, well. I’ll piss connected his grave.”

NYPD detectives basal wrong a deli astatine 168 Lenox Ave. wherever an on-duty postal idiosyncratic was stabbed to decease connected Jan. 2, 2025, successful Harlem, successful New York. (Barry Williams/ New York Daily News)

Cruz was indicted Thursday for second-degree execution successful the 2:30 p.m. stabbing of the 36-year-old postman astatine Joe’s Grocery, connected Lenox Rd. adjacent W. 118th St.

She pleaded not blameworthy and was ordered held without bail.

The suspect told detectives that Hodges accused her of cutting him successful the sandwich enactment astatine the deli earlier ridiculing her with homophobic remarks, according to tribunal documents.

Jaia Cruz appears successful Manhattan Supreme Court connected Thursday successful Manhattan, during which she was indicted for the stabbing execution of a postal worker. (Barry Williams/ New York Daily News)

“I did spit connected him due to the fact that helium called maine a f—-t,” Cruz’s confession reads. “I called him a soiled monkey. You said hurtful words, truthful I said hurtful words to you.”

As their quality escalated, Cruz claimed that Hodges struck her 3 times earlier she pulled a weapon and stabbed him successful self-defense, according to tribunal documents.

“I told him, ‘You travel to maine and I’ll termination you,'” Cruz told investigators. “No motherf—-rs are going to enactment their hands connected maine nary more.”

“He tried to messiness with maine due to the fact that I’m trans and I poked him up,” said Cruz, who is simply a transgender woman.

Hodges, who lived successful the Bronx, reacted to the stabbing with astonishment, saying, “You truly stabbed me?” to which Cruz replied, “Yes I did,” tribunal documents state.

U.S. Postal Service idiosyncratic Ray Hodges was stabbed to decease successful a Manhattan deli connected Jan. 2, 2024. (Courtesy family)

Cruz insisted passim her Jan. 2 confession that she “blacked out” during the onslaught and that she suffers from “mental issues,” according to tribunal documents.

“My brainsick has nary rhyme oregon rhythm,” Cruz told prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. “I told him, ‘If you rise your hands, I’m going to stab you successful the f–king jugular. You attacking me.'”

Cruz stands a towering 6 feet 5 inches tall. Witnesses to the execution described her arsenic huge, and said she appeared to beryllium precocious connected drugs during her confrontation with Hodges.

One witnesser said that she and different pistillate made aggregate attempts to interruption up the combat but that neither combatant was consenting to backmost down.

“I got successful betwixt them — twice,” said Janet Rich, who was successful the deli buying java erstwhile the combat broke out. “There was different pistillate with dreadlocks [who] said, ‘Don’t bash this. You person a bully job. Let this go.’”

Cell telephone footage recorded by Rich shows the wounded postal idiosyncratic lying connected the deli level successful a excavation of humor arsenic a antheral attempts to assistance him.

An NYPD serviceman and a detective basal extracurricular a Harlem deli astatine 168 Lenox Ave. wherever postal idiosyncratic Ray Hodges was stabbed to decease connected Jan. 2, 2025. The deceased postal worker’s cart is beside the door. (Barry Williams/ New York Daily News)

Medics rushed the unfortunate to Harlem Hospital, where helium died.

Cruz fled to her flat located connected W. 118th St. conscionable a fewer doors down from the deli earlier her apprehension aboriginal that night, sources said.

Hodges, who joined the U.S. Postal Service successful 2022 and worked retired of the Morningside Post Office, was remembered arsenic an “honorable man” by friends and family.

“Ray was a large person,” his member told The News the time aft Hodges’ death. “He was an honorable man. He took attraction of his household and everybody. Respectful.”

One of Hodges’ longtime neighbors, who would lone place herself arsenic Mrs. Jenkins, broke down successful tears arsenic she wondered however a elemental disagreement could extremity up successful truthful overmuch bloodshed.

“He is specified a polite person. He holds the doorway for maine and everybody,” said Mrs. Jenkins, 65, who couldn’t travel to presumption with what happened.

“It’s coward-like. Why?” she asked. “It’s senseless. I mean why?”