The Queens man convicted of killing an NYPD officer in Far Rockaway two years ago was sentenced Monday to 115 years to life in prison.
Justice Michael Aloise sentenced Guy Rivera, 36, to a maximum of life in prison on the four counts he was convicted of and a minimum of 115 years.
Queens prosecutors accused Rivera of first-degree murder after he shot officer Jonathan Diller during a car stop on Mott Avenue in March 2024.
Rivera was convicted of aggravated manslaughter in the first degree, attempted murder and other charges earlier this month after a weekslong trial in Queens Supreme Court. But a jury acquitted him of the top charge of first-degree murder.
In an emotional statement before the sentencing, Diller’s wife Stephanie spoke directly to Rivera, who was seated dozens of feet away from her in the courtroom.
“That day a bull tore through our entire life,” she told Rivera, adding that her family had been given a life sentence without Diller when he was killed.
“There is silence in my home where there should be a voice,” she said, urging the judge to impose a life sentence. She said Rivera would one day be judged by God.
Defense attorney Jamal Johnson told Aloise that his client did not have a fair trial because of pre-trial rulings that precluded evidence from being presented.
“We do look forward to our appeal,” Johnson told the judge. He said he advised Rivera not to make a statement because they plan to appeal his conviction.
Before he handed down the sentence, Aloise thanked members of Diller’s NYPD unit and said he had made a sentencing decision the moment Rivera pulled the trigger.
He also spoke directly to family members and supporters of Diller in the courtroom, telling them the only thing that will help them is the knowledge that “he is in the loving hands of our heavenly father.”
In a statement after the hearing, Johnson said the statement by the judge adds to their grounds for an appeal.
“The fact that the court stated it had already made up its mind about sentencing well before the trial was conducted reveals the bias and uphill battle the defense faced throughout this case,” he said.
At trial, prosecutors from the Queens district attorney’s office made their case to jurors that Rivera fired at Diller with the intent to kill him and avoid arrest.
“One person is responsible for those actions — this defendant,” Assistant DA John Kosinski said in his closing argument at the end of the trial. “He directed that gun at the person who stood between him and freedom and pulled the trigger.”
Throughout the trial, Rivera’s attorneys from the nonprofit Legal Aid Society tried to show jurors that the fatal shot was accidental and went off during a struggle with another officer at the scene, Sgt. Sasha Rosen.
Johnson sought to show jurors that testimony by NYPD witnesses was not entirely credible. In his closing argument, he told jurors the entire case was investigated by the department and they only heard testimony from law enforcement witnesses who had a strong interest in the case’s outcome.
“You can’t be afraid to come into this courtroom and say the words ‘not guilty,’” Johnson said.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement after the verdict that she was “deeply disappointed” the jury did not convict Rivera on the top charge.
“My hope is that the ultimate sentence in this case will reflect the gravity of his actions, and the profound loss he caused for Stephanie, Ryan, the Diller family, the NYPD, and the entire City of New York,” Tisch added, referring to Diller’s wife and young son.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect the charges on which Guy Rivera was convicted.
