NYPD cop killer whose case attracted Trump faces sentencing Monday

The man acquitted of first-degree murder in the 2024 traffic stop shooting of an NYPD officer whose killing attracted the attention of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump will be sentenced Monday on the lesser charges on which he was convicted.

Guy Rivera was convicted by a jury in early April of aggravated manslaughter, attempted murder, and weapons possession. It took jurors less than a day to nix the first-degree murder charge — a decision NYPD Commissioner Jessica says left her “deeply disappointed.” Still, Tisch said she was glad for the convictions.

Rivera, of Long Island City, faces 90 years to life in prison.

The trial lasted three weeks. Jurors were asked to look at whether Rivera intended to shoot Diller during the March 25, 2024, traffic stop.

“The last words Detective Jonathan Diller told his wife were ‘I love you.’ Detective Diller was a father, a husband and a son…Guy Rivera chose to ignore these facts, chose to ignore multiple lawful commands and chose to shoot Detective Diller,” Queens DA Melinda Katz said upon his conviction. “This crime stole the life of a dutiful officer and a family man.”

The case became a focal point during President Donald Trump’s campaign to reclaim the White House, cast at the time as an issue of “law and order” by the then-Republican candidate. Then-candidate Trump attended the officer’s wake and continued to cast the Democrat-led city as a hotbed of crime throughout his run.

Authorities had said one of the officers spotted a suspicious object bulging from Rivera’s hoodie as he and another man walked to a parked car and got in. According to police, the officers were questioning the driver when Rivera, who was in the passenger’s seat, suddenly pulled out a gun and shot Diller.

A bullet hit Diller below his bulletproof vest. At the time, he was the first NYPD officer to be killed in the line of duty in two years.

Officer Jonathan Diller was with another officer in the Far Rockaway neighborhood near Mott Avenue and Beach 19th Street before 6 p.m. when they approached a vehicle for being parked illegally at a bus stop. Diller was shot and later died. NBC New York’s Jessica Cunnington and Checkey Beckford have team coverage.