Background: Peter Zisopoulos in court for the murder of a New York City Fire Department EMS lieutenant in Queens, New York (WABC/YouTube). Inset: Alison Russo-Elling (FDNY)
The man found guilty of randomly murdering a beloved first responder in New York nearly three years ago has learned his fate.
Peter Zisopoulos, 37, was sentenced on Monday to 25 years to life in prison for murdering New York City Fire Department EMS Lieutenant Alison Russo-Elling. He was convicted of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon during a 12-day jury trial that began on May 7. The jury reached a verdict after less than an hour of deliberations.
Russo-Elling was months away from retirement on Sept. 29, 2022, when she walked from her fire station to a nearby food store for a lunch break during her shift. Zisopoulos is said to have left his apartment building, “raced” toward Russo-Elling, who was in uniform, and “shoved her to the sidewalk,” trial testimony revealed. The defendant then “repeatedly plunged a kitchen knife into the 61-year-old woman”s chest and abdomen, penetrating her liver, lungs and heart,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
The victim was stabbed more than 20 times, authorities said. A nearby scooter driver saw the attack and yelled for Zisopoulos to stop, causing the culprit to chase him down with the knife. According to Katz, “Zisopoulos then doubled back, passed Russo as she bled on the sidewalk, turned the corner and walked into his apartment building.”
Another passerby is said to have sought out help at the nearby EMS station. Police then arrived at Zisopoulos’ apartment and, after a standoff, arrested him. When they did, they found a knife in his pocket, Katz noted, with both his and Russo-Elling’s DNA on it.
Russo-Elling was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. She was posthumously promoted to captain.
On Monday, before Zisopoulos’ maximum possible sentence was announced, Russo-Elling’s family members had emotional words for the man who took her life.
“You are a monster,” her daughter, Danielle Russo, told Zisopoulos, according to WABC video of the sentencing on Monday. “You sat in this courtroom with absolutely no reaction to your savage attack on my mother. She never saw it coming.”
FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker added that Russo-Elling “has been missed every single day since her senseless murder.”
“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,” Tucker said.
Zisopoulos did not appear to know his victim, and by all appearances, the attack was random and unprovoked. His public defender lawyer said he had a “past psychiatric history going back to 2018,” according to The Associated Press.
Katz said New York will “always remember FDNY EMS Captain Alison Russo as a hero, who – for 24 years – served our city and saved countless lives,” noting that “in the dark days” after Sept. 11, 2001, she assisted in search and recovery efforts in New York City.
“Nothing will bring Captain Russo back, but we hope that the pain and grief over her loss will lessen with today’s sentencing,” the district attorney added. “This defendant will now serve 25 years to life in prison for this brutal and senseless crime.”
