Erika Menendez laughed so hard at her arraignment that the judge told her lawyer to quiet her down. She quite clearly is bonkers. However, that doesn’t in the slightest excuse murdering someone by pushing them in front of an approaching subway. Cameras recorded the murder, she has confessed, and will spend the next few decades in prison or a locked psychiatric ward.
She appeared equally unhinged later during her arraignment hearing in Queens Criminal Court. Menendez was laughing so hard that she was visibly shaking as Assistant District Attorney Michelle Kaszuba read the charges against her.
A number of people tell NY1 she used and sold drugs.
Several people also told the station that Menendez appeared to be mentally unstable, especially after her release from prison, where she served time for credit card fraud.
“I know her. … You could tell that something was not right, like she needed medication or something,” said the doorman, who didn’t want to give his name. “It’s just very sad what happened.”
We live in a highly polarized country. The economy is doing badly. Hardly anyone still respects government or business because there’s not much to respect. Rule of Law no longer applies to the very wealthy. Most everyone is nervous about what’s coming next economically and politically. In a twitchy atmosphere like this it’s not surprising that some mentally ill go off the deep end and start killing. Perhaps they are the canaries in the coal mine and we should serious examine why there have been so many senseless slaughters lately in the US lately.