Career Criminal Arrested Again After Random Knife Attack

A judge in New York City has released a repeat offender who was later arrested for a separate, unprovoked knife attack. Demitri Marshall, 32, was taken into custody only hours after he allegedly slashed a 27-year-old man in the face near the East Broadway subway station.

The victim, identified only as Fernando, shared that he needed seven stitches for the injuries he sustained. He also expressed his disbelief that Marshall, who had just been released, could have seriously harmed him or even killed him.

“The justice system just doesn’t make sense to me,” Fernando, a painter from Ecuador, remarked. “I don’t get why someone like him was let go.”

Fernando described the moment of the attack: he had just gotten off a train and was waiting at the corner when out of nowhere, he felt a sudden impact to his face. “I didn’t see it coming. He didn’t say a word. I just… I couldn’t believe it. I could’ve really gotten hurt,” he recounted, relieved he wasn’t hit in a more fatal area.

After the attack, Fernando rushed back to the subway station to alert a police officer. Law enforcement quickly tracked down Marshall and arrested him later that evening. He now faces serious charges, including first-degree assault causing serious bodily injury, and he has pleaded not guilty. He’s currently detained at Rikers Island without bail, awaiting his arraignment.

This arrest follows a previous incident where Judge Ralph L. Wolf had allowed Marshall out on supervised release despite prosecutors urging for bail due to a similar assault the month prior. Marshall had reportedly slashed another man on a train for no apparent reason.

The earlier victim was treated at Jacobi Medical Center and was reportedly stable afterward. Following that incident, Marshall faced multiple charges including attempted assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

Despite the prosecution’s insistence on a significant bail amount, Judge Wolf decided against it. The state court administration commented that they don’t discuss individual bail decisions, highlighting the complexity of assessing flight risks for defendants.

Marshall’s record isn’t light; before this latest incident, he had been arrested seven times. His past offenses include various assaults and robbery, having served time for a Manhattan robbery before being paroled earlier this year. He is set to return to court regarding this case on October 30.