"A Manhattan jury is now deciding whether Randy Santos, 31, was legally insane when he allegedly bludgeoned four homeless men to death with a metal bar in Chinatown in October 2019, or whether he should be held fully responsible and face the possibility of life in prison. Closing arguments wrapped up Thursday, Feb. 19, in a case that has haunted Lower Manhattan since those predawn sidewalk killings. Santos has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. His attorneys say he was living with untreated schizophrenia and hearing voices that ordered him to kill, setting up a high-stakes clash over his mental state on the night of the attacks."
"The defense has not tried to convince jurors that Santos was uninvolved. Instead, they argue that psychosis, not hatred or cold calculation, drove his actions. On the stand, Santos's brother recounted handing him a butter knife the night of the attacks and hearing Santos say horror-movie killers were telling him what to do. A clinical expert testified that Santos experienced auditory hallucinations and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia."
A Manhattan jury must determine whether Randy Santos, 31, was legally insane when he allegedly killed four homeless men with a metal bar in Chinatown in October 2019 or whether he should be held criminally responsible and face possible life imprisonment. Santos has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The defense contends untreated schizophrenia and auditory hallucinations compelled him to act, supported by family testimony and a clinical expert. Prosecutors portray the attacks as deliberate, citing surveillance footage, forensic evidence on the metal bar (blood, hair, DNA), eyewitness accounts, pauses to avoid detection, and an alleged "trial run" the week before.
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