Police Arrest 24-Year-Old Suspect in Murders of New York City Homeless Men

(NEW YORK) — A 24-year-old homeless man accused of using a metal rod to bludgeon four other homeless men to death is facing multiple murder charges, the New York Police Department said Sunday.

Authorities said Randy Santos, who is expected to be arraigned Sunday, is also facing an attempted murder charge in connection to a fifth homeless man who was seriously hurt in the attacks, which took place early Saturday in New York City’s Chinatown.

It was unclear if he had an attorney to speak for him.

The attacks left blood splattered on the doorways and sidewalks where the men had been sleeping, including The Bowery, which has long been a location where those living on the streets have made their nighttime resting area.

Santos had a metal rod with him when he was taken into custody. Police said he had undergone a psychiatric evaluation.

Police identified one of the victims as an 83-year-old man and haven’t released other information on the victims yet.

Santos has been arrested at least six other times in the past two years, three times on assault charges.

Santos’ relatives told The New York Daily News he had a history of drug use since his arrival to the United States from the Dominican Republic a handful of years ago.

His mother, Fioraliza Rodriguez, 55, told the paper she had kicked him out of her home about three years ago, after he assaulted her. But while she said she had been afraid of him, she said she “never thought he would kill someone.”