Four-time deported migrant charged with murder after subway attack victim dies

The suspect accused of fatally shoving two men onto subway tracks will face murder charges after one of the victims died, according to a Thursday statement from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Police first arrested suspect Bairon Hernandez on attempted murder charges for allegedly pushing 83-year-old Richard Williams and a publicly unidentified 30-year-old man onto a set of Upper East Side subway tracks.

Reports showed no trains arriving at the time of the attack, but Williams, an Air Force veteran, suffered a brain bleed and remained in the hospital before passing away weeks after the March 8 attack. The second victim was also hospitalized but quickly stabilized, according to reports. Prosecutors indicted Hernandez for murder after Williams’ death, with an arraignment scheduled for March 30.

What was the motive? Police remain unsure of Hernandez’s motive, and the attack appeared unprovoked. The Department of Homeland Security released a statement days after the attack, calling attention to Hernandez’s lengthy criminal history. The 34-year-old Honduran native first entered the country in 2008 before being deported four separate times, DHS said. Previous charges include aggravated assault and domestic violence, along with possession of drugs and weapons, DHS added.