A man on trial for the brutal bludgeoning deaths of four men sleeping on New York City streets was suffering from schizophrenia and believed he had to kill 40 people to save his own life, a jury heard on Tuesday. His lawyer revealed that Randy Santos, 31, had been diagnosed with the condition months before the attacks, following his release from prison.
Santos is asserting an insanity defense at his trial in a Manhattan state court. While his legal team acknowledges he committed the 2019 Chinatown rampage, they argue he cannot be held criminally responsible. They contend that mental illness had "polluted his mind with irrational thoughts and left him prone to violence."
