
New York man convicted of fatally stabbing EMS worker as she walked to a store to get food
The victim, Lt. Alison Russo-Elling, 61, was ambushed while heading to a corner store in her uniform to get something to eat. One of the first responders to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, she was months away from a planned retirement when she died.
Peter Zisopoulos, 37, was convicted on charges of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. He's scheduled to be sentenced on June 30 and faces 25 years to life in prison, according to prosecutors.
There was no indication Russo-Elling knew Zisopoulos, who fled to his apartment and was arrested after locking himself inside. Zisopoulos' lawyer previously said his client 'has a past psychiatric history going back to 2018.'
District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement she hopes the conviction "brings Alison's family, friends and coworkers solace as we continue to grieve her loss."
Russo-Elling was posthumously promoted to captain.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
23 minutes ago
- Reuters
Sean 'Diddy' Combs jury to resume deliberations after partial verdict
NEW YORK, July 2 (Reuters) - The jury in Sean "Diddy" Combs' trial will continue deliberations on Wednesday, a day after reaching a verdict on four of the five counts the music mogul faces in his sex trafficking case but failing to agree on a racketeering conspiracy charge. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said on Tuesday the jury had reached a verdict on the two counts of sex trafficking and two of transportation to engage in prostitution faced by Combs, a former billionaire known for elevating hip-hop in American culture. The judge did not reveal the verdict on those counts. Subramanian instructed the 12-member jury to keep deliberating about the racketeering count after the panel sent him a note indicating jurors had "unpersuadable opinions on both sides." Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to all five felony counts. He faces a mandatory 15-year prison sentence if convicted of sex trafficking. A guilty verdict on either that charge or the racketeering conspiracy count could result in up to a life sentence. Jurors must be unanimous to reach a verdict on any count. After reading the note the jury sent Subramanian, Combs appeared emotional, rubbing his eyes and resting his face against his palm while seated at the defense table with his lawyers huddled around him. Over the course of a seven-week trial in Manhattan federal court, prosecutors sought to persuade jurors that Combs for two decades used his business empire to force two of his romantic partners to take part in drug-fueled, days-long sexual performances sometimes known as "Freak Offs" with male sex workers in hotel rooms while Combs watched, masturbated and occasionally filmed. Two of Combs' former romantic partners, the rhythm and blues singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane, testified that he beat them and threatened to cut off financial support or leak sex tapes if they stopped taking part in the performances. Combs' lawyers acknowledged that the Bad Boy Records founder, once famed for hosting lavish parties for the cultural elite in luxurious locales like the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez, was at times violent in his domestic relationships. But they said the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual. The apparent discord among the jurors had echoes of the sometimes fractious deliberations in movie producer Harvey Weinstein's trial in June on sex crime charges in New York state court in Manhattan, just across the street from where Diddy is on trial. Jurors spent five days deliberating Weinstein's fate, with some acrimony directed toward the foreman. They eventually convicted Weinstein of one felony sex crime but deadlocked on a rape charge, leading to a mistrial on that count. To convict Combs of racketeering conspiracy, prosecutors would need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was part of a criminal enterprise consisting of his employees and other associates whose aim was in part to facilitate his sexual abuse and keep evidence of wrongdoing under wraps. Jurors heard testimony from Combs' former personal assistants who said their jobs included setting up hotel rooms for "Freak Offs" and buying their boss drugs. An InterContinental security guard testified that Combs, in the presence of his chief of staff, paid him $100,000 to hand over what he thought was the only copy of the surveillance tape of his attack on Ventura. And Scott Mescudi, the rapper known as Kid Cudi, told jurors Combs was likely involved in an arson on his car after Combs found out he was romantically involved with Ventura. The defense argued Combs was a successful entrepreneur who used drugs recreationally, but kept his professional and personal lives separate. Combs has been held in federal lockup in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest.


BreakingNews.ie
29 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man remanded in custody charged with murder of Sarah Montgomery
A 28-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of pregnant mother-of-two Sarah Montgomery in Co Down. Zak Hughes, from Ardglen Place in Belfast, was also charged with child destruction during a brief appearance at Newtownards Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. Advertisement Dressed in a grey tracksuit, he stood in the dock and nodded when asked if he understood the charges. A PSNI detective chief inspector told the court he could connect Hughes to the offences. The brief hearing took place at Newtownards Magistrates' Court. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA. No facts of the case were laid out and there was no application for bail. The date of the offences given on court papers was June 27. Advertisement District Judge Conor Heaney remanded Hughes in custody until July 30. Ms Montgomery, 27, died at her home in Donaghadee. Floral tributes have been left outside her house in Elmfield Walk. A 42-year-old woman, who was arrested in Belfast on suspicion of assisting an offender, was released unconditionally on Tuesday. Advertisement The death of Ms Montgomery has led to renewed focus on the rate of violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland. She was the 27th adult woman to be killed in Northern Ireland since 2020.


Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump settlement with CBS sparks viewer outrage
By and ALEX HAMMER FOR Published: | CBS and Paramount are set to pay a humiliating settlement to Donald Trump that goes beyond millions in cash payouts and could flood their liberal audiences with conservative content. The president is set to get $16million from CBS and Paramount straight away to reimburse him for legal fees for what he claims is misleading editing to an interview before the election with rival Kamala Harris. The remaining money will help fund a future presidential library and serve some of Trump's favorite charities, at his discretion. However, the president has also won more than $15million more in earned media for both himself and the conservative movement that could have left-leaning viewers seeing red. The president will receive that much in advertising, public service announcements and other content that backs conservative causes, Fox News Digital reports. Further, CBS will institute a new 'Trump rule' in its editorial standards that forces them to quickly put out unedited transcripts of any interviews with presidential candidates. 'With this record settlement, President Donald J. Trump delivers another win for the American people as he, once again, holds the Fake News media accountable for their wrongdoing and deceit,' a spokesperson for Trump's legal team said. 'CBS and Paramount Global realized the strength of this historic case and had no choice but to settle. President Trump will always ensure that no one gets away with lying to the American People as he continues on his singular mission to Make America Great Again.' The suit, filed last October, accuses Paramount, CBS and its flagship show 60 Minutes of deceptively editing an interview with then–Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris just weeks before the election. Trump alleges the footage was manipulated to 'tip the scales' in Harris's favor. Lawyers for Trump and CBS parent company Paramount have been 'engaged in good faith, advanced, settlement negotiations,' according to court filings Monday. Now, it appears that Trump is set to get more than even the $20million a mediator for both sides proposed, and is set to have a new rule named after himself at the network. Trump alleges the 60 Minutes footage was manipulated to 'tip the scales' in Harris's favor. CBS has denied the claim, slamming the allegations as coming 'completely without merit.' In recent weeks, Paramount reportedly balked at settling the suit over fears of facing legal backlash for bowing to the president. Paramount brass believed any large settlement could be considered a bribe, since the the company's proposed $8 billion merger with Skydance must be approved by the Trump administration. Trump's team has denied that his administration's approval of the deal is contingent on settling. Paramount heiress Shari Redstone, who has been pushing to close the Skydance deal, stands to make more than $1 billion as Paramount's primary shareholder. She reportedly offered to pay as much as $50 million to make the suit go away. Skydance is run by David Ellison, the son of Trump ally Larry Ellison. Last week, sources told the New York Post that David, 41, had become confident the $8 billion deal would close by the end of the summer. Former CBS CEO Wendy McMahon and longtime 60 Minutes boss Bill Owens both left their roles in protest of Paramount's willingness to settle. The A-List stars of 60 Minutes recently demanded that CBS News appoint their pick for the show's next executive producer. It's a settlement that continues Trump's winning streak against media companies he believes have engaged in dishonest practices against him. In December, ABC News agreed to pay $15 million to Donald Trump to settle a lawsuit over assertions made by top anchor George Stephanopoulos that he was found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. The settlement, first reported by Fox News , was publicly filed on Saturday and revealed that the parties had come to an agreement in the suit. It stipulates that the network will pay $15 million as a charitable contribution towards Trump's presidential library. ABC will also post a note on its website expressing regret over the claim in a March 10 segment on "This Week" made by Stephanopoulos. They will also pay his legal fees as part of the settlement, which have totaled $1 million. A statement from the network said: 'ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC's This Week on March 10, 2024.' Trump had sued Stephanopoulos and the network for defamation soon after the segment aired. His lawyers accused Stephanopoulos of making the statements with 'malice' and a disregard for the truth.