Queens man convicted in killing of FDNY EMS lieutenant Alison Russo
Peter Zisopoulos, 37, was found guilty of murder Monday after the jury deliberated for less than an hour after the eight-day trial wrapped up, according to prosecutors.
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'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 DA Melinda Katz said.
Zisopoulos stabbed FDNY EMS Lieutenant Alison Russo, 61, more than 20 times with a serrated knife near 41st Street near 20th Avenue in Astoria at around 2:20 p.m. on Sept. 29, 2022, according to court records.
The stab wounds punctured the city worker's lungs, liver, and heart. Russo was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved.
The defendant threatened a good Samaritan on a scooter with a knife when he tried to intervene before barricading himself in his Astoria apartment, prosecutors said.
Zisopoulos was then arrested, and the bloody knife was found in his pants pockets, according to court records.
Russo, a 24-year veteran of the FDNY, was posthumously promoted to captain.
'While the verdict will not bring Captain Russo back to us, I pray her family and those who loved her get some sense of closure from this. Captain Russo was a hero and continues to be a source of inspiration and strength to her colleagues and to this department,' FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said.
Zisopoulos faces 25 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 30.
His attorney could not be reached Monday.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She has been with PIX11 News for two years. See more of her work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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