Man sentenced to 25 years to life for fatal stabbing of 9/11 emergency responder
Peter Zisopoulos, 37, was convicted in May of second-degree murder for killing Lt. Alison Russo-Elling, then 61, as she walked from her fire department station to a nearby store for food in 2022. She was remembered by mourners as a dedicated public servant who responded to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
There's no indication that Zisopoulos knew Russo-Elling. His public defender lawyer has said that Zisopoulos 'has a past psychiatric history going back to 2018.' The lawyer did not immediately respond to a message left with his office on Monday.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz called 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,' said Fire Commissioner Robert S. Tucker.
Monday's sentencing came after the unrelated fatal shooting of two on-duty firefighters in Idaho over the weekend.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
40 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump settlement triggers 'widespread distress' at CBS News
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, July 2 (Reuters) - Paramount Global's (PARA.O), opens new tab settlement of the "60 Minutes" lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump provoked condemnation on Wednesday from CBS News current and former employees, press freedom advocates and legislators. Paramount's agreement to pay $16 million to resolve a civil suit over what Trump alleged was the network's deceptive editing of an interview with presidential candidate Kamala Harris sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the free press, journalism advocates warned. One current "60 Minutes" employee who spoke with Reuters said that during a call Wednesday, newsroom staff expressed "widespread distress" about the settlement and concerns about the future of the CBS News prime time news magazine and its hard-hitting brand of journalism. The staffer, who requested anonymity to speak publicly about his employer, said that while CBS News avoided the worst outcome in its settlement with Trump - an apology - the agreement nonetheless sets a "horrible precedent" in agreeing to make public transcripts of future interviews with presidential candidates. The settlement follows ABC News's decision in December to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit over anchor George Stephanopoulos's on-air description of the president's conduct in the E. Jean Carroll case. "With two major network owners bowing to the president in quick succession, the danger is clear: emboldened politicians and powerful actors will feel more free than ever to weaponize lawsuits and bring regulatory pressure to bear to silence and censor independent journalism," said Tim Richardson, journalism and disinformation program director at free-speech advocate PEN America. On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren called for an investigation into the settlement, which will be paid to a fund supporting Trump's future presidential library, said she will soon introduce legislation to "rein in corruption through presidential library donations." Trump filed the $10-billion lawsuit against CBS in October, alleging the network deceptively edited an interview that aired on its '60 Minutes' news program with then-vice president and presidential candidate Kamala Harris to 'tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party' in the election. In an amended complaint filed in February, Trump bumped his claim for damages to $20 billion. CBS aired two different versions of Harris's response to a question about the Israel-Hamas war, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Texas. CBS previously dismissed the lawsuit as "completely without merit" and asked a judge to dismiss the case. Steve Kroft, retired long-time "60 Minutes" correspondent called the settlement a "travesty" adding, "This is but the latest attempt by the Administration to damage the country's institutions and encroach upon the rights granted to the people under the First Amendment." Rome Hartman, one of the producers on the Harris segment who retired from CBS two weeks ago, called the settlement "a cowardly capitulation by the corporate leaders of Paramount, and a fundamental betrayal of '60 Minutes' and CBS News." Like other current and former staffers, Rome lays blame at the feet of Paramount controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, who needs Trump administration approval for its $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media. The Redstone family's payout for the sale of National Amusements, which holds the family's controlling stake in Paramount, will be about $1.75 billion, Reuters previously reported. "They settled in order to preserve Shari Redstone's payday," Hartman said. Paramount has said the lawsuit is "completely separate from, and unrelated to" the Skydance transaction and the pending FCC approval process. CBS News co-CEO George Cheeks told investors during Wednesday's annual shareholder meeting that Paramount opted to settle the lawsuit to avoid the "unpredictable cost" of mounting a legal defense, and the possibility of an adverse outcome that would cause reputational damage." Paramount and CBS did not provide additional comment. FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who was named chair by Trump on Jan 20, said last week the commission was continuing to review the transaction. The FCC did not make a decision by the 180-day informal deadline in mid-May. As the months-long legal standoff between Trump and Paramount dragged on, seven current and former journalists at '60 Minutes' said they have experienced heightened oversight over their work, including high-level executives sitting in on screenings, extensive review of any story touching on the Trump administration or the war in Gaza, and story lists being scrutinized at the highest level. However, no "60 Minutes" stories were blocked from airing. "60 Minutes" lost a key ally in May, insiders said, when CBS News President Wendy McMahon, who defended the news organization from meddling, resigned, saying 'it's become clear that the company and I do not agree on a path forward.' She followed '60 Minutes' executive producer Bill Owens, who resigned in April after months of increasing oversight over the long-running newsmagazine, at the urging of Redstone, according to three people familiar with the matter. 'Today is a sad day for press freedom," said Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, who said he believes Paramount would have prevailed in court. "Now Trump's presidential library will be a permanent monument to Paramount's surrender, a continual reminder of its failure to defend freedoms that are essential to our democracy.'
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Harvey Willgoose: Teacher "sprinted" to fatal school stabbing
A teacher has described the moment he sprinted to the scene of a fatal school stabbing after hearing "knife, knife," on the staff radio D'Angeli recounted his actions while giving evidence at the trial of a 15-year-old boy accused of murdering Harvey Willgoose, also 15, at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield on 3 D'Angeli appeared emotional as he told jurors how he had tried to help Harvey after the attack, and said that the defendant was often "hot-headed" around other 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, has admitted a charge of manslaughter and bringing a blade onto school premises but denies murder. The teacher, who works in pastoral and wellbeing support, said he had known Harvey well because of issues around his said on the morning of the fatal attack, Harvey had visited him to let him know he was going to be coming into school told jurors that later that day while he was in the school hall he heard the words "knife, knife" on his radio and then "sprinted", passing children who were "screaming and running away".He said he then came across assistant headteacher Morgan Davis with the defendant and overheard the boy saying 'I told you, I knew it, I lost it'."It was clear he was angry, upset, aggressive, but he was complying," Mr D'Angeli later, he said he had found Harvey collapsed and dialled 999. The court heard the force of the stabbing had been enough to sever one of Harvey's ribs and mark pathologist Dr Philip Lumb told the jury: "Bone is a very hard substance, it is difficult to cut…that is a marker of the use of severe force."Harvey received CPR and underwent emergency surgery at the scene to try and save his life, but was pronounced dead within an hour. Mr Mr D'Angeli said that on 16 January, two weeks prior to the attack, he had attended the school's isolation room to find the defendant "heated and agitated".He said he heard the defendant say, "I'm going to bang him out, I'm going to knock him out" in reference to another student, Pupil teenager accused Pupil A of using a racial slur towards him and punched a wall, Mr D'Angeli said, which caused "significant damage"."A reasonable amount of force was needed to stop him continuing to punch the wall," the teacher told the jury the accused had calmed down after Pupil A left the prosecution said on Tuesday that Harvey "sided with" Pupil A in an ongoing disagreement with another boy, who was a friend of the defendant. Lockdown at school Speaking about another event in the lead-up to the fatal attack, on 29 January Mr D'Angeli said he had heard "commotion" on his said: "I heard [the defendant] screaming, '[Pupil A] thinks he's hard' and 'I'll bang him out'."He told the jury it took "a lot" of force for him to remove the defendant from the defendant had insisted Pupil A had a knife in his pocket, Mr D'Angeli said, and "remained constant" in this claim both in the heat of the moment and when he calmed said he believed the boy was genuinely concerned about the knife, and agreed he had "no reason to disbelieve him".When Mr D'Angeli returned to the scene, the teacher found a friend of the defendant, Pupil B, showing aggression towards Pupil A and also asserting he had a B had said, '[pupil A] thinks I won't do him, he thinks he's hard, he has a knife', Mr D'Angeli told the school lockdown alarm sounded and police carried out searches, but they did not find any weapons. 'Hot-headed' Mr D'Angeli knew both the defendant and Harvey well, he the morning of the stabbing, the accused had also visited Mr D'Angeli, and asked if Pupil A had come in that Nawaz Hussain KC, defending, asked whether "taking initiative" to avoid another argument was "sensible and proactive", and Mr D'Angeli agreed. The teacher added the boy had been "calm and collected" in their meeting and had not mentioned Harvey, or any other concerns, apart from Pupil told the jury the boy was "respectful, calm and would comply" in their interactions, but was "hot-headed [and] easily agitated at times in school"."Previous to these incidences, I wouldn't have described him as an angry child," he trial continues. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
‘Let Puffy go': outside court, Sean ‘Diddy' Combs supporters hail verdict
After the jury returned a mixed verdict in the federal sex-trafficking and racketeering trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, supporters of the 55-year-old music mogul gathered outside the courthouse on Wednesday in celebration. Combs was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and not guilty of two counts of sex trafficking and a count of racketeering conspiracy. The verdict, delivered by a jury of eight men and four women, is seen by many legal experts as the best outcome Combs could have hoped for outside of a full acquittal. Outside the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan, dozens of Combs's supporters gathered after the verdict was delivered. Many chanted his name and cheered as several members of his family exited the building following the announcement. 'Let Puffy go!' some supporters chanted, putting heir fists in the air. 'Not guilty!' others shouted. Music filled the air as supporters played Diddy Free, a track released during closing arguments on Friday by one of Combs's sons, King Combs, and Ye, formerly Kanye West, who briefly came to support Combs in court during the trial. The crowd outside the courthouse danced and celebrated, with some handing out bottles of baby oil and lathering themselves in it. Baby oil played a prominent role in this trial; many witnesses testified that Combs used copious amounts of baby oil during his drug-fueled sex marathons referred to as 'freak-offs'. Additionally, large amounts of baby oil were found at Combs's home during federal raids. By early afternoon, as the crowd outside the courthouse began to grow, the New York police department increased their presence outside the courthouse. One supporter was seen holding a Sean John T-shirt, a company created by Combs, while others wore T-shirts that read 'Freako is not a Rico'. But while Combs's supporters celebrated, organizations that support victims of sexual abuse and domestic said they were disappointed in the verdict. UltraViolet, a women's rights organization that held a demonstration last week outside of the trial in support of sexual assault survivors, said in a statement that the verdict on Wednesday was 'a decisive moment for our justice system, one which threatens to undo the sacrifice of courageous survivors who stepped forward to share their stories in this trial, as well as to all those abused by Diddy who weren't able to'. 'Today's verdict is not just a stain on a criminal justice system that for decades has failed to hold accountable abusers like Diddy, it's also an indictment of a culture in which not believing women and victims of sexual assault remains endemic,' they added. More than 50 members of the media were also gathered outside the courthouse to cover the verdict and its aftermath. The attorney for Combs's former girlfriend and the star government witness in the case – Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura – told reporters outside the courthouse that his team is pleased that Combs has 'finally been held accountable' but added that 'of course, we would have liked to have seen a conviction on the sex crimes and Rico, but we understand that 'beyond a reasonable doubt' is a high standard'. 'We're just pleased he still faces substantial jail time,' he added. Combs had pleaded not guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The jury found him guilty of the transportation to engage in prostitution counts, which each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Since his arrest last September, Combs has remained incarcerated without bail in a federal detention facility in Brooklyn. He has a bail hearing that is scheduled for 5pm ET on Wednesday to determine if he will remain in custody or whether he will be released. 'I hope he gets released today!' one supporter yelled.
