Psychiatric test for suspect in subway shoving death
Posted:
Updated:
By LISA EVERS, Fox 5 News Reporter
NEW YORK (MYFOXNY) -
As friends say goodbye to Sunando Sen, more details are being revealed out about the woman accused of pushing him to his death.
Erika Menendez was arraigned on murder charges for allegedly shoving Sen to his death on the subway tracks. She will undergo a court ordered psychiatric examination and Fox 5 has learned this wasn't her first time going through the system.
The 31-year-old Menendez was led out in handcuffs for arraignment on a charge of Second Degree Murder as a Hate Crime. Prosecutors say she targeted 46-year-old Sunando Sen, explaining it like this: "I pushed a Muslim off the train tracks because I hate Hindus and Muslims ever since 2001 when they put down the twin towers I've been beating them up."
At the Rego Park apartment complex where she lives with her mother and her stepfather, neighbors, who include Muslims and Hindus, are relieved she's behind bars.
"Now you don't feel safe even waiting on the train station you know?" said one neighbor. "So, I don't know, I'm kind of speechless and worried that – yeah, to discover that she lived in the building."
Sources tell Fox 5 that in the past, police were called to the apartment by family members who could not control her after she went off her medication and that she has a history of unprovoked attacks that resulted in at least two assault charges. In one incident, Fox 5 has learned she punched a man in the face while he was mowing his lawn.
"We have everybody here (in the community) and it's really nice – but it's really sad," added another resident.
Fox 5 has learned that Menendez' troubled past included arrests for cocaine possession and using a stolen credit card. She's being held without bail, and will be back in court January 14. That's when a judge will review the findings of the psychiatric examination.
Sunday, May 19 2013 12:13 AM EDT2013-05-19 04:13:53 GMT
The NYPD says a 14-year-old girl was shot and killed on a Queens MTA bus Saturday night. The incident happened around 8:50 p.m. on board the Q-6 bus on Sutphin Avenue and Rockaway Boulevard
The NYPD says a 14-year-old girl was shot and killed on a Queens MTA bus Saturday night. The incident happened around 8:50 p.m. on board the Q-6 bus on Sutphin Avenue and Rockaway Boulevard
Thursday, May 16 2013 6:47 PM EDT2013-05-16 22:47:54 GMT
The MTA and Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the A train subway will run its route all the way to the Rockaways starting May 30, seven months after Superstorm Sandy washed away the track support bed.
The MTA and Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the A train subway will run its route all the way to the Rockaways starting May 30, seven months after Superstorm Sandy washed away the track support bed.
Thursday, May 16 2013 6:06 PM EDT2013-05-16 22:06:34 GMT
A smuggling ring that made a fortune selling more than a million cartons of untaxed cigarettes in New York may have funneled some of the illicit proceeds to terrorist groups, authorities said.
A smuggling ring that made a fortune selling more than a million cartons of untaxed cigarettes in New York may have funneled some of the illicit proceeds to terrorist groups, authorities said.
Thursday, May 16 2013 1:17 PM EDT2013-05-16 17:17:42 GMT
Several New York lawmakers are sounding the alarm about security and safety lapses at day care centers across New York City.
Several New York lawmakers are sounding the alarm about security and safety lapses at day care centers across New York City. In a report released Thursday, dozens of daycares cited by the Dept. of Health for serious and critical health code violations since 2010, have not fixed the problems and continue to operate without penalty.
Wednesday, May 15 2013 11:08 PM EDT2013-05-16 03:08:35 GMT
A judge in Manhattan put the brakes on the so-called Taxi of Tomorrow because the Nissan-built minivan does not come in a hybrid version -- a violation of the city code.
A judge in Manhattan put the brakes on the so-called Taxi of Tomorrow because the Nissan-built minivan does not come in a hybrid version -- a violation of the city code.
Tuesday, May 14 2013 9:54 PM EDT2013-05-15 01:54:43 GMT
The FDNY must subject itself to court supervision for five years to ensure it does not discriminate against blacks and Hispanics in its hiring practices, a federal appeals court said.
The FDNY must subject itself to court supervision for five years to ensure it does not discriminate against blacks and Hispanics in its hiring practices, a federal appeals court said.
Tuesday, May 14 2013 3:59 PM EDT2013-05-14 19:59:22 GMT
USDA photo
The tree-killing Asian longhorned beetle has been eradicated from Manhattan and Staten Island, but remains a problem in Brooklyn, Queens, and parts of Long Island.
The tree-killing Asian longhorned beetle has been eradicated from Manhattan and Staten Island, but remains a problem in Brooklyn, Queens, and parts of Long Island, according to state agriculture officials.