Mother of J train stabber compares son to Daniel Penny, starts legal defense fund
The mother of the man accused of fatally stabbing an ex-con who attacked his girlfriend on a J Train this week compared the young man to Daniel Penny, as she has started an online fundraiser for his legal defense.
Jordan Williams, 20, was justified when he knifed Devictor Ouedraogo on a Brooklyn subway Tuesday night because he was defending other straphangers from “danger which was already taking place,” his mom, April Williams, wrote on a GiveSendGo fundraiser she created.
Then she invoked Penny, the 24-year-old former Marine who was indicted for killing troubled homeless man Jordan Neely after Neely allegedly threatened other passengers on an F train in Manhattan last month.
“Simply stated, these cases have become all too familiar in NYC, and this situation resembles that of Daniel Penny – who is out on bail and able to defend himself freely,” she wrote. “We just pray for that same opportunity!”
“He should not suffer because he can not afford bail on a case where he simply was justified in the actions he took,” April Williams said of her son. “Why should Jordan have to suffer at Rikers Island and fight his case from a cage?”
Williams fatally stabbed Ouedraogo, a 36-year-old man who was hassling other commuters on a northbound J train that was approaching Marcy Avenue in Williamsburg Tuesday evening, police sources told The Post.
Ouedraogo started arguing with Williams, who was onboard with his girlfriend. Then Ouedraogo, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, allegedly socked the woman in the face, the sources said.
The two fought, and had each other in headlocks before the younger man pulled a knife and stabbed Ouedraogo twice, sources said.
Everything you need to know about Jordan Williams' stabbing case
Devictor Ouedraogo, 36, was hassling other commuters on board a J train Tuesday evening when he started arguing with Jordan Williams, 20, and his girlfriend, sources said.
Ouedraogo was eventually stabbed to death by Williams, police and sources said.
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Police and EMS rushed Ouedraogo to Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Williams was released without bail Thursday after his arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court.
Williams has been charged with manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon, authorities said.
He faces up to 25 years in prison for the first charge, while the second could tack on an extra 12 months.
The wounded man stumbled off the train and onto the platform. Cops responding to a 911 call found him at about 8 p.m., and EMS rushed him to Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he died.
Williams, of Hollis, Queens, was charged Wednesday with manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon, authorities said.
Ouedraogo did time in state prison in August 2009 for an attempted robbery in Queens, records show.
Williams’ attorney, Jason Goldman, compared his client to Penny on Wednesday and said it was “upsetting to see that Mr. Williams is even being charged without a thorough investigation.”
In the fundraiser, April Williams said that her son “acted with courage to defend himself and passengers from a physically violent, reckless, and deranged individual.”
“Jordan has been born and raised in Wayside Baptist Church, he is a high school graduate and an avid basketball player – lover of the sport!” she wrote.
“He is soft-spoken and respectful of those in his community and his elders. The heartbreak over these events have taken us by storm BUT our faith remains stronger than ever.”
The fundraiser, which she said is to cover his legal bills, had garnered about $35,000 as of Thursday night.
