Maniac who slaughtered beloved FDNY paramedic found guilty of murder in the brutal, random NYC attack
The maniac accused of ruthlessly stabbing beloved FDNY EMS Lt. Alison Russo was found guilty of her murder Monday — following a shocking trial where her relatives and colleagues were forced to relieve the horrific act.
Jurors in Queens Supreme Court deliberated for less than an hour before convicting 37-year-old Peter Zisopoulos of second-degree murder and weapon possession for randomly attacking Russo, 61, during her lunch break in September 2022.
Russo's relatives celebrated the swift verdict, which came after an approximately week-long trial where Zisopoulos took the stand and chillingly showed virtually no emotion as prosecutors played gruesome footage of the slaying.
'This brings closure for my family,' Craig Fuoco, Russo's brother, said after the jury's decision was delivered.
5 Members of the FDNY filled the hallway following the guilty verdict.
James Messerschmidt
'Nothing can erase the pain. Alison's missed every day,' Fuoco said, while flanked by his late sister's FDNY colleagues and her daughter, Danielle Russo.
'We're ready to start healing and keep Alison's memory alive,' he said. '[I'm] happy that I think justice was done. Happy to start to move forward. But Alison will continue to be missed. It's continuing to be difficult to move on, but we'll find a way.'
Zisopoulos, of Astoria, will face 25-year-to-life in prison at his sentencing June 30.
Video played at trial showed the unhinged attacker knocking over the 9/11 first-responder and knifing her 20 times just a half-block from her stationhouse.
Prosecutors said Zisopoulos attacked Russo in broad daylight on Sept. 29, 2022 while she was on duty in her uniform.
5 Alison Russo was a 24-year veteran with the FDNY EMS and assisted as a first responder during 9/11.
James Messerschmidt
He walked out of his apartment building and rushed at Russo, shoving her to the pavement and getting on top of her — before stabbing her repeatedly with a serrated kitchen knife in the chest and abdomen, including her lungs, liver and heart.
A bystander on a scooter tried to intervene, but was chased away by a still-armed Zisopoulos, according to trial evidence.
The knife-wielding attacker then circled back — walking around Russo as she lay bleeding out on the sidewalk — and returned to the apartment he shared with his mother, prosecutors said.
Another bystander spotted Zisopoulos and ran to a nearby EMS station for help.
5 Peter Zisopoulos stabbed Russo 20 times, including nine times in the heart.
Michael Nagle
5 Zisopoulos could face 25 years to life at his sentencing in late June.
BRIGITTE STELZER
Police arrested Zisopoulos after a brief standoff while he was locked in his apartment.
The serrated knife was found by cops in Zisopoulos' front pants pocket, and tested positive for both his and Russo's DNA, prosecutors said.
During his stint on the witness stand Friday, Zisopoulos repeatedly provided inconsistent responses about the attack.
For instance, he presented three different alibis for what he was doing when Russo was killed, including telling the New York Post during a jailhouse interview in 2023 that he had been busy watching Star Wars at the time.
5 Photos of beloved FDNY EMS Lt. Alison Russo featured at her wake in 2022.
'Alison Russo was a long-time public servant who cared deeply for the people of New York. Our city is still in mourning for a woman who saved countless lives as a member of the FDNY EMS and as a volunteer with her local ambulance company on Long Island,' Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement.
'I hope this conviction brings Alison's family, friends and coworkers solace as we continue to grieve her loss.'
FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said that while the verdict will not bring Russo back, 'I pray her family and those who loved her get some sense of closure from this.'
'Russo was a hero and continues to be a source of inspiration and strength to her colleagues and to this Department,' Tucker said in a statement.
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