Family wants justice for Fil-Am elderly killed in SanFo train shoving

MANILA – The family of Corazon Dandan, the elderly Filipino-American who was killed after being shoved toward an oncoming train in San Francisco, California, is seeking justice as the suspect failed to appear for his arraignment.

The hearing for the case has been suspended after 49-year-old suspect Trevor Belmont missed his court date on July 5 (San Francisco time).

The suspect, described as mentally ill and homeless, was reportedly confined in a hospital.

"Of course, we want justice to be served but the reality is, at least, from my standpoint he's a mentally ill person. I don't really know what kind of justice you're going to get," the victim's nephew, Alvin Dandan, said in an interview with ABS-CBN News. "Putting somebody who's mentally ill in jail is not going to all of a sudden make things better. Whether he's charged, whether he's jailed, it's not going to bring (my aunt) back)."

Reports said Belmont suddenly pushed Dandan just as a train was approaching the Bay Area Rapid Transit's Powell Street Station. She sustained severe head injuries, causing her demise.

Dandan, 74, moved to San Francisco in the 1980s, according to reports. She worked as a telephone operator for 29 years in a hotel downtown, continuing even past retirement age.

She had no children but helped put nephews and nieces through school. (PNA)