Ex-NYPD sergeant says jury ‘missed the mark’ in Jonathan Diller verdict
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A former NYPD sergeant has slammed the jury’s verdict in the killing of police officer Jonathan Diller, saying they “absolutely missed the mark” by rejecting a first-degree murder charge against the gunman despite evidence he believed showed clear intent.
“When you intentionally bring an illegal firearm onto the street, you hold it in your hand and pull the trigger, you know the consequences…” Joseph Imperatrice told “Fox & Friends First” on Thursday.
“For the jury to come back and not think for one second that this was murder, knowing that these officers were identified, knowing that there were several uniformed officers at the scene who were identified, this was intentional and they absolutely missed the mark here,” he added.
NYPD detective Diller was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop in Queens in March 2024.
THE WIDOW OF NYPD OFFICER JONATHAN DILLER CRIES AS THE BLUE SEA COURTROOM FILLS THE MURDER TRIAL OF THE ACCUSED COP KILLER.
This composite image shows Guy Rivera, left, in court for the murder of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller, separated by a photo of Diller in uniform, right. (Dave Sanders/Pool/The New York Times; NYPD)
Guy Rivera, the man accused of the fatal shooting, was found guilty Wednesday of first-degree aggravated manslaughter and attempted first-degree murder for attempting to shoot a person. NYPD sergeant He also arrived at the scene and was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
However, he was acquitted of first-degree murder.
Fox News contributor and criminal defense attorney Josh Ritter said the verdict seemed “inconsistent,” pointing to the disconnect between the acquittal on the top murder charge and the conviction for attempting to kill a second police officer at the scene.
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“We’re struggling with the idea of intent because when the other officer is convicted of attempted murder, that’s a specific intent crime, so to commit attempted murder you have to have intended to kill that person,” he said on “Fox & Friends” Thursday.
“You attempted to murder a police officer, but then they actually fought the intent to file first-degree charges against the murdered officer… There seems to be some misunderstanding in terms of the law. It seems inconsistent.”
Imperatrice said the decision reflects broader challenges law enforcement faces with repeat offenders and the criminal justice system.
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““It’s bad enough that law enforcement has to act outside the box and fight politicians and ridiculous laws every day,” Imperatrice said.
“The jury need not worry as much as daylight if they see a man with a prior criminal record for weapons offenses a mile long deliberately pull the trigger and kill one of us. These officers don’t need to worry about that. This should have been a life sentence at best, but in my personal opinion, [if] “If you kill a police officer, that’s death.”
Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.
