Widow of NYPD Det. Jonathan Diller testifies at alleged killer's murder trial
The widow of a New York City Police detective killed in the line of duty in 2024 took the stand Thursday in the trial of the man accused of murdering him.
Jonathan Diller, 31, was a police officer at the time of the shooting. He was posthumously promoted to detective.
Guy Rivera, now 36, is accused of fatally shooting Diller.
Widow, trauma surgeon take stand
Stephanie Diller told the jury March 25, 2024, was a scheduled day off for her and her husband. They took their toddler son to the park, split a coffee, and then Jonathan Diller got called into work.
She said he told her, "I love you," and she replied, "I love you, too. Be safe, always."
Stephanie Diller said her husband called around 5:30 p.m. and said it was time for his meal break, but he would skip it to have dinner with her when he got home.
"He said, 'I love you. I'll see you soon,'" she testified.
A short time later, Stephanie Diller said, a neighbor told her they had heard an officer was shot and asked if she had heard from her husband. Stephanie Diller said she told the neighbor it wasn't her husband because they had just spoken.
A trauma surgeon from Jamaica Hospital detailed efforts to save Jonathan Diller, telling the jury his assessment was that the officer arrived dead.
The surgeon said he hopped on the stretcher and began CPR, explaining they did a procedure that was "an absolute Hail Mary," cutting Jonathan Diller open and massaging his heart.
While they did get it beating again, ultimately Jonathan Diller was pronounced dead. Officers in the gallery began crying when an image of Jonathan Diller on the operating table was displayed.
Stephanie Diller, now 31, said when she saw the doctor, "I could see it in his eyes, what he was going to tell me."
"She showed unbelievable strength and courage from that day and every day after that, including today," Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said.
Deadly shooting in Queens
Prosecutors say Diller and other members of the NYPD's Community Response team were in Far Rockaway, Queens, when Rivera was spotted with what appeared to be a gun in his hoodie pocket.
Rivera allegedly got into a car and ignored officers' repeated commands to roll down the window, not to put his hands in his pocket and to get out of the vehicle. Rivera allegedly shot Diller after he was pulled out of the car.
The defense claims the shooting was an unintentional discharge that happened when Sgt. Sasha Rosen was pulling at Rivera's arm. Rosen testified Rivera's finger was on the trigger.
"I reached into the vehicle the same time as he was pulling the firearm up," Rosen said.
After Jonathan Diller was shot, prosecutors say Rivera pointed the weapon at Rosen, but the gun jammed.
Rivera was shot twice by police.
He has pleaded not guilty to murder and weapons charges. If convicted on the top charge, he faces life in prison without parole.
