Driver involved in shooting death of NYPD Det. Jonathan Diller agrees to plea deal
A major chapter has been closed in the 2024 shooting death of New York City Police Det. Jonathan Diller in Queens.
Lindy Jones, the man accused of driving the convicted shooter, agreed to a plea deal Wednesday.
The charges
Prosecutors said Diller and other officers spotted Guy Rivera with what appeared to be a gun in his pocket on March 25, 2024. Rivera then allegedly got into the passenger seat of a car and ignored officers' commands to get out of the vehicle.
Officers pulled Rivera from the car, and Rivera's gun discharged, striking Diller and causing fatal injuries, officials said.
According to prosecutors, Jones, 43, was in the driver's seat of the vehicle Rivera got into before the shooting.
Jones agreed Wednesday to plead guilty to criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.
"He drove two illegal firearms and a cold-blooded cop killer on the streets of Rockaway, Queens," said Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association.
Jones' sentencing
The district attorney argued the judge give Jones five years jail time and five years post-release supervision, citing two prior convictions involving firearms, including attempted murder.
He also referenced the discovery in the Diller case.
"It does provide ample evidence of defense knowledge of that firearm in the glovebox," Queens Assistant District Attorney Gabriel J. Reale said.
The defense asked the judge to consider a three-year sentence, but he declined. Sentencing is scheduled for July 14.
Michael Jackson, Jones' uncle, was in the front row at Wednesday's hearing and left upset.
"I know he had no prints on it," he said. "I think that he should have went to trial and fought his case ... He was drunk, and he should have never had his friend in that car. He made bad decisions."
Convicted killer sentenced
Back in April, Rivera was convicted of several charges, including aggravated manslaughter, but he was acquitted of the most serious charge, first-degree murder. He was sentenced to 115 years to life in prison.
Diller, 31, left behind a wife and young son, who were not in court Wednesday. Diller's mother did attend the hearing.
The Detectives' Endowment Association released a statement saying, in part, "We, his colleagues in blue, will feel his loss always, and we wish his brave family peace."
