An 83-year-old veteran who was reportedly shoved onto subway lines in New York City by an illegal immigrant with a long criminal past died of his injuries, the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday.
Richard Williams, a retired Air Force pilot, died on March 17 after allegedly being shoved onto the tracks at the Lexington Avenue-63rd Station days before.
The alleged attacker, Honduran national Bairon Posada-Hernandez, 34, was detained on March 10 and faces murder charges.
According to the New York Post, John Pena, 30, the other man who was reportedly shoved onto the tracks, assisted in pulling Williams back onto the platform just before a train arrived.
Williams was brought to the hospital after the attack, where physicians diagnosed him with a brain bleed and performed surgery. He showed no cerebral activity following the treatment, according to specialists.
Williams’ death was declared a homicide. I want him to go to Venezuela’s prison, which is the worst place he could go,” his daughter, Debbie Williams, previously told the publication. “I want him to suffer throughout his life. “Penal justice would be appropriate.”
She stated that her father had just won a five-year battle with prostate cancer six months earlier.
Mitchell Schuman, Hernandez’s public defender, declined to comment on the charges against his client. We have yet to examine the indictment, complete our research, or study the expected extensive discovery papers,” he stated.
Posada-Hernandez, described as a “serial criminal,” has been deported from the US four times, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stated, “Bairon Posada-Hernandez is a serial criminal and a four-time deported illegal alien from Honduras who should never have been allowed to walk our streets and harm innocent Americans.”
Federal officials have asked New York not to release Posada-Hernandez back onto the streets. New York has enacted sanctuary regulations that limit cooperation between local and federal officials.
Posada-Hernandez has been detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Posada-Hernandez has 15 past felony accusations, including simple assault, domestic violence, obstruction of police, firearm possession, narcotics possession, and aggravated assault.
He originally entered the country on January 2, 2008, and has been deported four times, the most recent in 2020. It was unknown when he re-entered the United States for the fifth time, according to DHS.