Queens man gets 115 years to life in slaying of NYPD detective Jonathan Diller

The 36-year-old man who fatally shot NYPD Det. Jonathan Diller of Massapequa during a 2024 traffic stop in Far Rockaway was sentenced Monday to spend what amounts to the rest of his life in prison.

Guy Rivera received four consecutive prison terms totaling 115 years to life from Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise. The sentence includes 25 years to life for aggravated manslaughter in the first degree, 40 years to life for attempted murder in the first degree, and 25 years to life for each of two weapon possession counts.

A Queens jury convicted Rivera on April 1 after a trial that gripped the region’s law enforcement community. The jury acquitted him of first-degree murder — a verdict that sparked fierce criticism from Nassau and Suffolk police unions who called it a “complete failure of the justice system.”

Rivera shot Diller on March 25, 2024, after repeatedly ignoring commands to roll down his window and exit a Kia Soul parked on Mott Avenue in Far Rockaway. According to trial testimony and the investigation, Rivera drew a loaded .38-caliber pistol from his pocket and fired at Diller as the detective opened the passenger door.

The bullet hit Diller in the abdomen below his bulletproof vest, severing his iliac artery and causing internal bleeding. Diller died later at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.

After shooting Diller, Rivera pointed the gun at NYPD Sgt. Sasha Rosen’s chest and pulled the trigger, according to court testimony and the police investigation. The gun jammed and Diller wrestled the weapon away from Rivera before collapsing on the street.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Monday’s sentence ensures Rivera “will never be free again to terrorize the streets of New York City.”

“Jonathan Diller represented the very best of law enforcement: courage, commitment and service to community,” she said. “He was a father, a husband and a son. He was also a dedicated member of the New York City Police Department who put on a uniform every day to protect our city.”

Diller was an officer at the time of his murder and was posthumously promoted to detective. He left behind his wife Stephanie and their young son.

Thousands of law enforcement officers and supporters from across Long Island and the region attended Diller’s funeral in Massapequa in 2024. President Donald Trump, who was campaigning at the time to again become president, attended services for the fallen officer.

Rivera’s co-defendant Lindy Jones, 43, of Edgemere, was charged with criminal possession of a weapon after police executing a search warrant found a loaded 9mm pistol with a scratched-off serial number in the vehicle’s glove compartment. Rivera’s fingerprints and DNA were found on that gun.

Jones faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted and is due back in court Monday.

_{Top: Guy Rivera in Queens Criminal Court during his trial on Wednesday in the killing of NYPD Det. Jonathan Diller of Massapequa (Gregory P. Mango/pool).}