An American war veteran was killed by an illegal immigrant in New York

A veteran of the United States Air Force was killed in New York after being pushed onto the train tracks in an attack that occurred in the Upper East Side neighborhood.

The event, which generated a strong shock, involved Richard Williams, 83, as a victim, who died days later as a result of his injuries.

The episode occurred on March 8, shortly before noon, at Lexington Avenue-63rd Street station. According to authorities, Williams was waiting for the train when he was suddenly pushed onto the tracks with another man. The attack was attributed to Bairon Hernández, a 34-year-old violent Honduran illegal immigrant

.

After being hospitalized in critical condition for several days, the veteran died on March 17. Previously, prosecutors had indicated that Williams was “brain dead”, while his daughter, Debbie Williams, had already warned that it was unlikely that her father would survive the brutal attack

.

The defendant was arrested on March 10 in a homeless shelter. After the victim's death, Justice aggravated the charges against him, which became second-degree murder, according to

court records.

John Pena, 30, was also attacked in the same incident, who was pushed onto the tracks with Williams. Despite suffering injuries, he managed to react quickly and, in a heroic act, helped the veteran to get back on the platform seconds before a train entered the station.

A video recorded with a cell phone, apparently by Pena himself, shows the suspect walking calmly down the platform immediately after having pushed both men, which generated

even more anger.

The victim's family

In statements after the attack, Debbie Williams expressed her pain and her demand for justice: “I want him to go to jail in Venezuela, the worst place I could go. I want him to suffer for the rest of his life. Prison justice would be appropriate

.”

Richard Williams, a retired Air Force pilot, had recently been through a tough personal battle. Reportedly, he had managed to overcome prostate cancer after five years of treatment, just six months before the attack, which had meant a new chance in his life.