Mayor Mamdani Criticized for Condolences Ignoring Autistic Man's Charges

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing fresh criticism after posting condolences for an accused killer who died while in custody, yet he never once mentioned the autistic man charged against him.

Luis Alberto Lopez Castillo, 20, was discovered in medical distress inside Queens Criminal Court around 6:30pm on Wednesday. Correction Department staff immediately began CPR until emergency crews arrived and transported him to a nearby hospital. He was pronounced dead just before 8pm, according to reports from the New York Post.

On Thursday, Mamdani took to X to share the news. 'I extend my condolences to the family,' he wrote in his post. The message focused entirely on Lopez Castillo's passing and ignored the victim of his alleged crime.

Court records obtained by Gothamist show Lopez Castillo appeared for a scheduled hearing that day. He faced charges including robbery, grand larceny, assault, and criminal weapons possession linked to an incident from July 2025. However, he was also standing trial on murder and manslaughter counts tied to the death of Ronnell Marte in September 2025.

Police say Lopez Castillo ambushed Marte at Starlight Park in the Bronx early one morning. The accused murderer stole the victim's cellphone while his accomplice, Axel Martinez, shot him in the chest. Ronnell Marte was just walking home from work at a local Amazon warehouse when he died at age 26. His family told News 12 that their son had planned to earn an associate's degree.

Online reaction turned hostile very quickly. Critics slammed Mamdani for omitting Marte from his statement. 'He robbed and murdered a 26-year-old disabled man,' one user wrote on X, calling the mayor a monster. Another asked bluntly why anyone would mourn a prisoner while ignoring a single victim. A third commenter pointed to other tragedies, noting that law-abiding citizens are often killed walking down subway stairs or stabbed near their homes, yet these deaths receive no mention from the administration. 'You only call out the death of criminals,' she stated.

The backlash mirrors complaints from last month when Mamdani expressed sympathy for Clarence Woodward's family after he died at Rikers Island. That time, Jose Miranda's family called the mayor's action a slap in the face. Jose was an alleged victim whose own mother, Marisol Miranda, told The Post that the mayor's words felt terrible and unfair. She argued his sorrow should have been directed toward her son instead.

Marisol lost a 45-year-old father of two who worked as a barber before he was fatally stabbed at a Bronx laundromat. 'I'm not happy with what [Mamdani] did,' she said, insisting the mayor needs to talk about my son. The contrast between mourning an accused murderer and ignoring a grieving family remains stark for many New Yorkers.

She confirmed he is dead. This marks the eighth fatality in city custody so far this year. Correction Commissioner Stanley Richards issued a statement calling it a heartbreaking moment for him and the entire department. He promised an investigation into Lopez Castillo's death would proceed alongside efforts by city and state officials.