Attempted mass murderer Richard Rojas was not guilty of plowing through a Manhattan street full of pedestrians in 2017.
Rojas killed one tourist with his vehicle and injured 22 other bystanders. After the carnage, the suspect told a police officer that he “wanted to kill them”.
Wednesday the jury found the 33-year-old “not responsible” after a measly 6 hours of deliberations. The jurors cited “mental illness” for their dismissal of responsibility.
The New York Post reported, that Defense lawyers had maintained Rojas wasn’t in control of his actions when he unleashed the May 18, 2017 carnage that took the life of young Alyssa Elsman. The decision amounts to a rare buy-in on an insanity defense in New York, with jurors determining that his mental defect superseded clear evidence of guilt.
“I think it’s bulls—t,” said the father of the deceased 18-year-old. Rojas will likely be sent to a mental health facility rather than serving any time in prison.
“The defendant made a decision that day, He went to the ‘Crossroads of the World,’ [Times Square] a high profile place where everyone knows there’s lots and lots of people.” Said District Attorney Alfred Peterson.