A man stabbed Alison Russo, a firefighter on duty, to death on the streets of Queens in 2022. The Queens Superior Court sentenced him to 25 years to life in prison on June 30. Dozens of firefighters and their families attended the sentencing that day, and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz also attended in person.
After a 12-day trial in May, the jury found the defendant Peter Zisopoulos guilty of second-degree murder and fourth-degree possession of a weapon. According to court records, at around 2:10 p.m. on September 29, 2022, after Russo left the EMS 49th Detachment station on 41st Street, Zisopoulos rushed out of his apartment and pushed him to the ground near 20th Avenue, and then stabbed him 19 times with a kitchen knife, with fatal injuries piercing his heart, lungs and liver. The suspect fled back to the apartment and confronted the police, and was eventually arrested.
Russo died after being sent to the hospital, and was later promoted to captain. She served in the city fire department for 24 years and in the Long Island Volunteer Emergency Squad for more than 30 years. She participated in the search and rescue and reconstruction operations after the September 11th incident.
Queens Supreme Court Judge Ushir Pandit-Durant ruled that day that Zisopoulos must serve 25 years to life imprisonment for murder and 364 days for weapons offenses, and the two sentences will be served together.
Prosecutors said that Zisopoulos has suffered from mental illness for many years, but has not taken medication stably, and has shown violent tendencies and harassment many times in the past. Police records show that between 2010 and 2018, three women reported that they were threatened or harassed by him, one of whom alleged that Zisopoulos had made anti-Asian and violent remarks on social platforms. Prosecutors said that although he was sent to the hospital for observation, he was not prosecuted and was not under continuous supervision, which eventually led to the tragedy.
The judge said during the sentencing that the defendant knew exactly what he was doing, and the attack was clearly murderous, and there was no evidence that he was incapacitated at the time of the incident. “A man walked out of his apartment and attacked a female paramedic passing by with a knife. There was no reason or warning. This is not a behavior that can be explained by illness.”
During the trial, Russo’s family and paramedics attended the hearing several times. When the sentencing was announced that day, the deceased’s brother Craig Fuoco issued a statement on behalf of the family. He said, “This is the best result we can get. I hope he will never be released again. He is a person who is obviously harmful to society.”
