Years after a commuter is pushed to her death at the New York subway, the woman who pushed her is sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. The crime is being described as “the quintessential urban nightmare.”
Subway Crime
On Nov. 7, 2016, 49-year-old Connie Watton was at the Times Square-42nd Street Station of the New York subway when 33-year-old Melanie Liverpool pushed her to an oncoming train, causing her death. The two did not know each other, and Liverpool was immediately arrested on the platform. Initially, Liverpool did not admit to the crime and pleaded “not guilty,” but changed it just last March 4, 2019, to “guilty.”
According to Liverpool’s lawyer, Liverpool was sexually abused as a child and was suffering from mental health issues. He further argues that Liverpool didn't know what she was doing when she committed the crime. In fact, witnesses reported hearing arguments before Watton was pushed. Police believe that Liverpool was talking to herself.
In 2018, Connie Watton’s husband, Robert Watton, sued the city’s Health and Hospitals Corp. for releasing Liverpool from the hospital even after she raved about killing transit riders. Evidently, she had previously claimed to be involved in a similar incident that was initially ruled as a suicide.
‘Urban Nightmare’
Now, over two years after the crime, Liverpool has been sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for murder in the second degree, something that Connie’s family is not pleased with. The idea that Liverpool could get out within her lifetime angered the family, saying that Connie did not have a second chance but Liverpool will, as she will be eligible for parole at the same age that Connie was when she died.
After the hearing, the judge commented that he had given Liverpool the maximum sentence for her crime, and described it as a “quintessential urban nightmare” for a stranger in the subway to kill another.
Connie Watton
Connie Watton was from the Philippines but emigrated to the United States when she was just a teenager to be able to give her family a better life. For a long time, she worked as a housekeeper for Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman’s family, and sent money back home to help support her family.
Robert Watton describes Connie as generous, thoughtful, and unique.
