NEW YORK — A Queens judge has ruled that the man accused of fatally stabbing FDNY EMS Captain Alison Russo is mentally competent to stand trial, clearing the way for the criminal case to proceed nearly two years after the veteran medic’s death.
Peter Zisopoulos, 36, is charged with second-degree murder in the unprovoked attack on Russo in September 2022. She had stepped out from her Astoria stationhouse to get food when prosecutors say Zisopoulos ran at her and stabbed her more than 20 times in broad daylight.
The May 6 ruling came after a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation concluded Zisopoulos is fit to stand trial, Newsday reported. During recent hearings, two court-appointed psychologists testified that Zisopoulos was delusional and psychotic. They also said he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia as early as 2008 and showed little willingness to engage meaningfully with his defense attorneys.
But Queens State Supreme Court Judge Ushir Pandit-Durant pointed to several key findings: Zisopoulos demonstrated an understanding of the trial process, recognized the charges against him, and grasped that a jury could find him guilty based on strong evidence. She also noted that he had considered using a psychiatric defense and ultimately rejected it — not due to confusion, but because invoking that defense would require admitting guilt, according to Newsday.
Such a decision, the judge said, reflected rational thought.
Under state law, a not guilty verdict due to mental illness could result in indefinite institutionalization. A conviction, on the other hand, could bring 25 years to life in prison.
Russo, 61, was a 25-year FDNY veteran and a first responder during the 9/11 attacks. She was a lieutenant at the time of her death and was posthumously promoted to captain. Outside of her FDNY service, she also volunteered as a paramedic in her hometown of Huntington, Long Island.
She is survived by her daughter, parents and younger brother.
With the judge’s decision, jury selection and trial proceedings are now expected to move forward.
