The suspect accused of killing an elderly Air Force veteran and wounding another man in a harrowing subway shoving incident pleaded not guilty to murder Monday, as the deceased victim’s tearful granddaughter described her grief as “immeasurable.”
Bairon Hernandez, 34, entered his plea before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Curtis Farber, having last appeared in court two weeks ago while Vietnam vet Richard Williams was still on life support.
Urging Farber to revoke the bail terms previously set for Hernandez and remand him for the Lenox Hill shoving incident, Assistant District Attorney Julie Noble said the suspect was accused of targeting an especially vulnerable New Yorker, “an 83-year-old man that was walking with a cane.”
“The defendant pushed him with such force — with both of his hands — that he flew onto the tracks and landed directly on his face,” the prosecutor said, telling the court Williams’ suffered a brain bleed and never woke up, dying after a nine-day battle on life support.
Subway shoving victim Richard Williams. (Courtesy of Family)
Farber granted the prosecution’s request for remand and scheduled Hernandez’s next court date for July 22. The man’s lawyer, Mitchell Schuman from New York County Defender Services, indicated he may propose a bail package at a future hearing.
Hernandez is also facing assault and attempted-assault charges for allegedly targeting another man during the March 8 incident on the downtown platform for the F and Q trains at the 63rd St.-Lexington Ave. subway station, 30-year-old Jhon Rodriguez.
Prosecutors allege Hernandez went for Rodriguez first, using the force of his whole body to shove him on to the tracks. Rodriguez landed on his knees, injuring his shoulder, and was hoisting himself back up when Hernandez allegedly targeted Williams, according to prosecutors.
Bairon Hernandez appears at his arraignment in State Supreme court in Manhattan on Monday, March 30, 2026. Hernandez, charged with shoving two men onto subway tracks, is now charged with murder after one of the men died. (Steven Hirsch for NY Post/POOL)
Rodriguez and a fellow Good Samaritan managed to get Williams back onto the platform before a train rolled into the station, the Daily News previously reported.
Hernandez faces up to 25 years if convicted of second-degree murder and could face an additional 15 years if convicted of the assault charges.
Noble on Thursday said the incident was captured from several angles on CCTV and cellphone footage and that there were multiple eyewitnesses, describing the prosecution’s case as “very strong.”
In arguing Hernandez posed a flight risk, Noble cited his two open warrants on narcotics allegations in New Jersey and previous conviction for reentering the country illegally. Hernandez, who is undocumented, immigrated to the U.S. from Honduras as a teen.
The Trump administration sought to politicize the case in the wake of the incident on account of Hernandez’s immigration status, criticizing New York’s sanctuary laws and calling on authorities to ensure his jailing when he was already on Rikers. If Hernandez is convicted, New York’s sanctuary laws will not prevent federal immigration authorities from deporting him.
Describing the incident as “an unprovoked heinous attack,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg briefly addressed the case at an unrelated press conference later Monday.
“One of the victims, an 83-year-old Vietnam veteran, tragically died of a traumatic brain injury nine days later. The second victim injured his shoulder, but thankfully survived,” Bragg said, declining to speak to the prosecution’s theories about a motive. “An investigation has been ongoing since the incident occurred.”
Jackie Bilog, granddaughter of Richard Williams, leaves the arraignment of his suspected killer, Bairon Hernanadez, in State Supreme court in Manhattan on Monday, March 30, 2026. (Curtis Means for Daily Mail)
Williams, who lived on Roosevelt Island, was in the city running errands when he was targeted. Following the brief court hearing Monday, his devastated granddaughter Jackie Bilog told reporters that his loved ones were still coming to terms with his harrowing final moments.
“Our family is devastated. He was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather and a kind and generous man whose life was centered around those he loved. The loss we feel is immeasurable, and the circumstances surrounding his passing have made this grief even more difficult to bear,” Bilog said.
“We understand that charges have been brought and we respect the legal process. At the same time, no legal proceeding can restore the life that was taken or the future that has been lost to our family.”