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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing renewed backlash after he expressed his condolences to an alleged murderer who died in custody – but failed to mention the autistic man he was accused of killing.
Luis Alberto Lopez Castillo, 20, was found to be in 'medical distress' at Queens Criminal Court around 6.30pm on Wednesday.
asserted
Castillo → see → Wednesday
Department of Correction staff jumped in to perform CPR until first responders arrived on the scene and brought him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead just before 8pm, the New York Post reports.
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Post → jump → pm
'I extend my condolences to the family,' Mamdani posted on X as he shared the news on Thursday.
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he → extend → Thursday
Lopez Castillo had been in court on Wednesday for a scheduled appearance to answer to charges of robbery, grand larceny, assault and criminal weapons possession stemming from an incident in July 2025, according to court records obtained by Gothamist.
But he was also facing murder, manslaughter, robbery and weapons charges in connection with the September 2025 death of 26-year-old autistic man Ronnell Marte.
uncertain
he → schedule → man
According to police, Lopez Castillo robbed Marte of his cellphone in an early morning ambush in the Bronx's Starlight Park as his alleged accomplice, Axel Martinez, shot Marte in the chest.
uncertain
accomplice → accord → chest
The victim had been walking home from a shift at a nearby Amazon warehouse, and his family told News 12 that he was determined to get his associate's degree.
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he → walk → degree
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing renewed backlash after he expressed his condolences to an alleged murderer who died in custody, but failed to mention the autistic man he was accused of killing
Mamdani announced Lopez Castillo's death in custody on social media
Many online quickly hit out at the Democratic Socialist for failing to mention Marte in his post.
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Many → face → post
'He robbed and murdered a 26-year-old disabled man.
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He → rob → man
You're a monster,' one X user posted, as another asked: 'Why do you mourn the death of prisoners and not one single victim?
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you → post → prisoners
'You have compassion for criminals but 99 percent of the time, you don't make a tweet when a law abiding citizen is murdered walking down the stairs to the subway or stabbed to death like the young woman who was on her first day back from maternity leave and left an infant and husband
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who → make → infant
,' wrote a third, referring to the death of Erin Piacenti.
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third → write → Piacenti
'You are intentional about all of your posts, so why not call out murders of innocent people too?' the woman continued.
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woman → call → people
'You only call out the death of criminals.'
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You → call → criminals
'Here you go again siding with criminals, sending your condolences to them instead of siding with the victims,' a fourth X user posted.
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user → go → victims
'You have no moral compass, no decency, no conscience.
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You → have → compass
Much of the blowback echoed criticism Mamdani faced last month after he expressed his condolences to the family of accused killer Clarence Woodward at Rikers Island.
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he → echo → Island
The family of Woodward's alleged victim, Jose Miranda, called Mamdani's statement at the time 'a slap in the face.'
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statement → allege → face
Lopez Castillo was facing murder, manslaughter, robbery and weapons charges in connection with the September 2025 death of 26-year-old autistic man Ronnell Marte (pictured)
Many onlinequickly hit out at the Democratic Socialist for failing to mention Marte in his post
'It's terrible,' his grieving mother, Marisol Miranda, previously told The Post, adding, 'That's not fair.
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That → face → Post
She argued that Mamdani's sorrow was misplaced, saying it instead should have been aimed at her son, a 45-year-old dad of two who worked as a barber when he was fatally stabbed at a Bronx laundromat.
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he → argue → laundromat
I'm not happy with what [Mamdani] did and I need him talking about my son.
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him → need → son
He was killed,' she said.
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she → kill → ?
Lopez Castillo is now the eighth person to die in city custody this year.
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Castillo → die → custody
In a statement, Correction Commissioner Stanley Richards said his death was a 'heartbreaking moment for me and the entire department.'
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death → say → me
Richards then vowed that the Department of Corrections would investigate Lopez Castillo's death alongside city and state officials.
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Department → vow → officials
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