A New York man on Monday was sentenced to serve 25 years to life in jail for the lethal stabbing of a veteran emergency employee whereas she was on a break in Queens, based on prosecutors.
Peter Zisopoulos, 37, was convicted in Could of second-degree homicide for killing Lt. Alison Russo-Elling, then 61, as she walked from her hearth division station in Astoria to a close-by retailer for meals in 2022. She was remembered by mourners as a devoted public servant who responded to the World Commerce Middle on Sept. 11, 2001.
There’s no indication that Zisopoulos knew Russo-Elling. His public defender lawyer has mentioned that Zisopoulos “has a past psychiatric history going back to 2018.” The lawyer didn’t instantly reply to a message left together with his workplace on Monday.
Queens District Lawyer Melinda Katz known as the killing “brutal and senseless.”
Russo-Elling was months away from retirement when she died. She was promoted posthumously from EMS lieutenant to the rank of captain.
“Today, we are appreciative that her killer has been sentenced to the maximum punishment: 25 years to life. This sentencing speaks to the brutality of the crime, and though it won’t bring her back, I pray it will finally give her family the closure they deserve,” mentioned Hearth Commissioner Robert S. Tucker.
Monday’s sentencing got here after the unrelated deadly capturing of two on-duty firefighters in Idaho over the weekend.
