Tributes are pouring in for Michelle Go, a New York woman who was randomly killed at a subway station by an ex-convict over the weekend.
Michelle Alyssa Go, 40, was waiting at Times Square subway station on Saturday morning when Simon Martial, 61, allegedly killed her by pushing her onto the tracks as a train was approaching.
Martial, who was reportedly homeless, admitted to the crime afterward and told reporters he was “God” after being arrested.
According to the police, while Go was Chinese-American, they do not believe that her horrific death was a hate crime and are pushing the theory that she was chosen at random.
During his arrest, the alleged killer was seen smiling and flashing his tongue at the police and the photographers.
The tragic incident prompted an outpouring of love and tributes to the senior Deloitte manager.
A Master’s graduate from Stern School of Business at New York University, Michelle Go secured a job working for top firm Deloitte where she focused on mergers, acquisitions, strategy, and operations.
In her spare time, Michelle Go had been involved for the past 10 years with the New York Junior League, a non-profit that helps women, children, and families who are struggling.
Go volunteered her time as an advocate for homeless people, seniors, immigrants, and those who were struggling academically.
She personally helped them to get jobs and enhance their skills in writing, to interview, and to make decisions about their personal money matters.
Following the tragic attack, colleagues, friends, and neighbors have paid tribute to “friendly” and “sweet” Michelle Go.
Steffany Franco, a Deloitte employee, wrote that Michelle Go interviewed her and gave her the chance to go to the next round.
She was “so kind and intelligent,” Franco wrote, and described the difficulty of processing the awful event.
Tamas Erdos worked with Michelle Go on a group project at the university and detailed how she would demonstrate excellent leadership skills and help to de-escalate conflicts between classmates.
The NYU graduate was a natural leader among a “bunch of men,” Erdos said.
In his loving tribute, he also had these kind words for Go: “She was really reliable, dependable, and fun. She was a super person to have on the team. She was a natural leader among a bunch of men… She was one of the guys also but mediated some conflicts. She was so vibrant and full of energy, and she was really interested in finance.”
Many of Go’s neighbors spoke kindly of her said she was a brilliant woman with a gentle soul.
These same neighbors, who prefer to remain anonymous, have also revealed that they now fear for their lives when taking the train in New York because of the rise in crime and senseless killings like this one.
Many hope that politicians in the state will rise to the occasion and take some measures to turn things around.
Michelle Go’s devastated family is traveling from California to identify the body.
