Key Points Summary – Transgender stabs postal worker

• Transgender woman Jaia Cruz fatally stabbed postal worker Ray Hodges
• Crime occurred inside the Harlem deli during a dispute over a line
• Cruz claimed Hodges insulted her gender identity before stabbing
• Plea deal downgraded murder charge to manslaughter
• The victim’s family erupted in court, furious over the lenient sentence

Transgender Stabs Postal Worker After Deli Argument

A transgender woman who brutally killed a postal worker inside a Harlem bodega has been sentenced to just 15 years behind bars — and the victim’s family says it’s a disgrace.

Jaia Cruz, 24, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the death of Ray Hodges, a 36-year-old USPS employee and father of two. Cruz had initially been charged with second-degree murder for the January 2 stabbing.

But prosecutors struck a plea deal in April, enraging Hodges’ loved ones. “This is pure evil,” said the mother of Hodges’ children, slamming the judge for allowing the deal.

Victim’s Family Slams Court: ‘He Deserved Better’

The tragic encounter happened inside Joe’s Deli Grocery when Cruz allegedly cut in line. Hodges confronted her, and Cruz responded with deadly violence, stabbing him to death.

In court, Cruz’s lawyer claimed Hodges had made a slur about her gender identity before the attack. The defense also requested that Cruz be sent to a women’s prison due to ongoing gender-transition treatments.

But to Hodges’ family, none of it mattered. They wore “Justice for Ray” shirts to the sentencing and shouted “It’s a boy!” in protest. “You get broken families,” one relative yelled. “We are the proof.”

Judge Calls It ‘Senseless,’ Victim’s Family Sees Injustice

Judge Gregory Carro acknowledged the violence as a “senseless killing over a trivial misunderstanding.” But he added that proving Cruz’s intent to kill was difficult — a statement that seemed to justify the plea bargain.

Still, the light sentence after such a vicious act has shaken faith in the justice system. Cruz, who has a violent criminal history, had been free when she attacked Hodges in broad daylight.

Now she’ll serve just 15 years, while a family mourns a father taken too soon. The phrase “transgender stabs postal worker” has become a lightning rod for outrage across the city.