The man convicted of randomly killing a beloved first responder in New York nearly three years ago has learned his fate.
On Monday, Peter Zisopoulos, 37, was sentenced to 25 to life in prison for the murder of Alison Russo-Elling, an EMS Lieutenant with the New York City Fire Department. He was found guilty of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon following a 12-day jury trial that began on May 7. The jury reached a decision after less than an hour of deliberation.
On September 29, 2022, Russo-Elling, who was months away from retirement, walked from her fire station to a nearby food store for a lunch break during her shift. According to trial testimony, Zisopoulos left his apartment building, “raced” toward Russo-Elling, who was in uniform, and “shoved her to the sidewalk,” 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 stated.
Authorities said the victim had been stabbed more than 20 times. A nearby scooter driver witnessed the attack and yelled for Zisopoulos to stop, prompting the perpetrator to chase him down with the knife. Katz writes, “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 assistance from the nearby EMS station. Police then arrived at Zisopoulos’ apartment and, following a standoff, arrested him. When they did, Katz reported, they discovered a knife in his pocket with both his and Russo-Elling’s DNA on it.
Russo-Elling was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead. She was posthumously promoted to captain.
On Monday, before Zisopoulos’ maximum possible sentence was announced, Russo-Elling’s family members expressed their feelings for the man who murdered her.
“You are a monster,” her daughter, Danielle Russo, told Zisopoulos, according to WABC video footage of the sentencing on Monday. “You sat in this courtroom with no reaction to your brutal attack on my mother. “She didn’t see it coming.”
FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker also stated that Russo-Elling “has been missed every single day since her senseless murder.”
“Today, we are grateful that her murderer has been sentenced to the maximum penalty: 25 years to life. This sentencing emphasizes the brutality of the crime, and while it will not bring her back, Tucker hopes it will finally provide her family with the closure they deserve.
Zisopoulos did not know his victim, and the attack appeared to be random and unprovoked. According to The Associated Press, his public defender stated that he had a “past psychiatric history dating back to 2018.”
Katz stated that New York will “always remember FDNY EMS Captain Alison Russo as a hero, who – for 24 years – served our city and saved countless lives,” and that “in the dark days” following 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,” according to the district attorney. “This defendant will now serve 25 years to life in prison for this brutal and senseless crime.”
