Court hearing for NYC subway death suspect

New York subway

flickr-Annie Mole

Erica Menendez, a woman accused of pushing an Indian man to his death in front of an oncoming New York City subway train, is due to appear in court for a hearing of the charges brought against her. 

The suspect allegedly pushed Sunando Chen because she blamed "Muslims, Hindus and Egyptians" for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and because she "thought it would be cool," as prosecutors quoted Menendez at an arraignment court hearing in late December. 

"I pushed a Muslim off the train tracks because I hate Hindus and Muslims — ever since 2001 when they put down the twin towers I've been beating them up," Menendez told police. She was subsequently charged with murder as a hate crime. 

Sen's murder was the second of its kind in New York in December 2012. A subway rider Ki-Suck Han was killed in a midtown Manhattan subway station on December 3. A homeless man, Naeem Davis, was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, but denied the accusations claiming he acted in self-defense.