The murderer is known for being notorious, and while the community is grieveing the loss, it doesn't come as a surprise to anyone.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on February 4, 2022. It has since been up
Trigger Warning: This story mentions violence that may be disturbing to readers.
Jessica Britt and her fiancée, Elizabeth Blue had just landed new jobs and were looking forward to a fresh start. But they were all the more excited about their upcoming wedding, which was reportedly just days away, PEOPLE reports.
But when they made their way back home to Sand Castle apartment complex in Far Rockaway, Queens, their celebratory night turned into absolute horror.
As they entered the building's lobby, Britt and Blue were reportedly confronted by 48-year-old Evelyn Cruz—a woman who is said to be feared by nearly everyone she meets. While it is unclear if any conversation took place between the two parties, Blue says they have had issues with the woman, known as the "monster" for the past two years.
When the two walked into their building's lobby, Blue could only watch in horror while Cruz allegedly pulled out a knife and began plunging it into her fiancée. Cops soon arrived at the scene, but by then, 33-year-old Britt was gravely wounded.
She was on the ground and bleeding profusely, and was quickly rushed to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital. Doctors ultimately pronounced her dead shortly after her arrival, the Daily News reported.
NEW YORK CITY: Murder Suspect Who Neighbors Call 'the Monster' Allegedly Stabbed Woman Days Before Her Wedding.
— CatT 🌻Reigning Typo Queen🌻👑 💉💉💉😷 (@typo_cat) February 3, 2022
Evelyn Cruz, 48, had been charged for previous violent attacks against her neighbors, according to police.https://t.co/aHIKHgm2QZ
While people in the community are shocked and saddened by the death of Britt, it doesn't come as a surprise to anyone. Multiple sources revealed that Cruz had more or less been terrorizing her neighbors for years.
Time and again, residents had complained about several such incidents to the building's management team, but no one seemed to do anything about it. Even Blue said that Cruz was well-known for harassing people. "The whole time I've been living in this building, everybody called her 'Monster,'" she said, recalling the violent attack.
In fact, the nickname was something Cruz herself was aware of, and it was almost as if she was proud of it. "They don't call me a monster for nothing," Cruz reportedly told a neighbor while threatening the person last summer. "Do you want a problem?"
Neighbors describe "monster" accused in Far Rockaway, Queens slaying as a longtime menace.
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) January 30, 2022
"I’ve told them that no one’s going to do something until someone is killed," neighbor Philip Thomas said.https://t.co/jiUBX0zMol
Earlier too, Cruz had been in trouble with the cops. In 2019, she was slapped with a menacing charge after she allegedly threatened to cut a neighbor with a razor blade. And just six months before that happened, she was arrested on an assault charge in connection with allegedly slashing the neck of another neighbor.
47-year-old Philip Thomas—another one of Cruz's neighbors—revealed that he has also faced the wrath of this woman after she once attacked his apartment door with a baseball bat and frequently made violent verbal threats. "This is an ongoing issue that should have been handled a long, long, long time ago," Thomas said. "I've told them that no one's going to do something until someone is killed."
Following the attack that took place on January 29, 2021, Cruz was taken into custody. After Britt was declared dead, the woman was booked on a murder charge as well as possession of a weapon.
Presently, it is unknown whether Cruz has obtained a lawyer or how she plans to plead. So far, no one has spoken out on her behalf.
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