‘She Looked Really Evil’: Suspect Accused In Caught-on-Camera Stabbing of New York Mother Laughs In Court as She Pleads Not Guilty to Murder, Pissing Off Victim’s Family
A woman who was reportedly caught on surveillance video last month viciously stabbing a young mother during a fight laughed in court this week as she entered a not-guilty plea to the woman’s murder.
Samaria Lopez was arrested on June 14 and charged with second-degree murder in the death of 22-year-old Jordin Walston.
Three days prior to the arrest, prosecutors say 22-year-old Lopez started a fight with Walston on West 40th Street and Eighth Avenue in the Hell’s Kitchen community of New York City.
Surveillance video shows the moments leading up to the altercation when Lopez walks up to Walston, who was standing outside a convenience store, and grabs her in front of several onlookers.
As the two exchanged blows, prosecutors say Lopez took out a knife and stabbed Walston twice – once in the torso and once in her aorta. The video shows a man stepping in to pull Lopez away from Walston.
After paramedics were called to the scene, Walston was rushed to a local hospital, where she died.
Lopez walked away from the scene after the attack. In an attempt to evade arrest, she changed her phone numbers and addresses, prosecutors stated. Authorities haven’t learned the reason for the fight.
“It’s a weird one, she hasn’t said anything,” a police source told the New York Daily News about Lopez. “All we know is it stems from a previous dispute.”
Lopez’s July 8 arraignment was fraught with tension between her family and Walston’s family members. A dispute broke out between both families after Walston’s family alleged that Lopez’s family wouldn’t give them enough space to sit in the courtroom, the New York Post reported.
As Lopez entered the courtroom, she flashed a wide grin, which provoked one of Walston’s family members. The woman profanely addressed Lopez as she was physically removed from the courtroom.
“That nasty f**king b****,” the family member said in response to Lopez’s smile. “That was funny…that sloppy, nasty b****,” the woman yelled.
Another Walston family member even hurled a threat toward Lopez, saying her “baby is gonna die by the same fate.” Eventually, both families were led out of the courtroom.
“She knows what she did, and she looked really evil,” Naomi Walston said of Lopez. “She deserves to be sentenced and get a sentence of a murderer.”
Walston leaves behind a 2-year-old daughter named Legacy. Legacy’s grandfather is hoping to relocate the child to North Carolina to take care of her.
“She left a baby behind … who needs to be taken care of. I’m lost for words life will never be the same. I want a decent burial and my granddaughter well taken care of,” Larry Walston said.