Triple Homicide Suspect In Midtown Serial Stabbing Indicted

MIDTOWN, NY — The suspect in a fatal stabbing spree that killed three people in Manhattan in November has been indicted on murder charges, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.

Bragg, who announced the indictment on Thursday, said that Ramon Rivera is accused of stealing knives from an Ace Hardware Store at 312 First Ave. and then using them to stab three people to death in Manhattan on the morning of Nov. 18.

“As alleged, Ramon Rivera committed an unprovoked and violent series of stabbings across Manhattan, taking the lives of three New Yorkers who were going about their day,” Bragg said.

“These fatal stabbings have shaken our city, and those who commit random acts of violence will face accountability."

The suspect was charged with one count of murder in the first degree, three counts of murder in the second degree, and burglary in the third degree.

Chelsea

On Nov. 18 at about 8:20 a.m, a 36-year-old man, Angel Lata Landi of Peekskill, New York, was standing in front of the construction site where he worked at 444 West 19th St. when, "without warning," he was stabbed in the stomach, recounted NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny on Nov. 18.

Landi was transported to a local hospital in critical condition and he died at 8:50 a.m.

The address police provided corresponds to the Chelsea Club, a residential apartment building near 10th Avenue.

East 30th Street

Officials believe the suspect then walked across town to the East Side. "We have video of him [walking] with the knives out," Kenny said.

A second unprovoked stabbing, on the East River near 500 East 30th Street, happened at about 10:18 a.m. on Nov. 18, according to authorities.

A 67-year-old Chinatown resident, Chang Wang, was fishing when he was stabbed multiple times throughout his body, Kenny said. Wang was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he died from the stabbing.

Tudor City

A third unprovoked stabbing, at East 42nd Street and 1st Avenue near the United Nations, happened at about 10:52 a.m. on Nov. 18.

A 36-year-old woman, Wilma Augustin of Midtown, was stabbed multiple times throughout her body, Kenny said. Augustin was hospitalized in critical condition at Weill Cornell Medical Center but later succumbed to her injuries, officials said.

A taxi driver witnessed the third attack and pointed the suspect out to law enforcement officials, who arrested the suspect near 46th Street and 1st Avenue shortly after the third attack, Bragg said.

"As of right now, [all of] these attacks seem to be unprovoked," Kenny said at the time.

This is a developing story and may be updated. For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.