NYC stabbing suspect charged with 3 murders not in court because of mental health evaluation
NEW YORK -- Ramon Rivera, the man accused of killing three people in a stabbing rampage in New York City, was due in court Friday but did not appear due to a mental health evaluation.
The district attorney said Rivera, 51, went on a two and a half hour stabbing spree Monday morning, alleging he fatally stabbed 36-year-old Angel Gustavo Lata, 67-year-old Chang Wong, and 36-year-old Wilma Augustin.
Lata was working construction in Chelsea, Wong was fishing in the East River near 30th Street, and Augustin, who has an 8-year-old daughter, was sitting on a park bench on First Avenue near 42nd Street.
Alleged stabber was just released from jail, prosecutors say
Rivera has been held without bail since his arrest on Monday. Prosecutors say he is homeless and no stranger to the criminal justice system.
Rivera was released from prison in October for burglary and assault on a correction officer, according to prosecutors. We're told he also had an open case for shoplifting, allegedly on the same day.
During questioning, Rivera told officers he did not target the stabbing victims due to race, age or sex, but chose them because they appeared to be alone and distracted, a police source told CBS News New York.
