COURTROOM MOMENT THAT SHOOK EVERYONE

The widow of Jonathan Diller was seen covering her ears in court as prosecutors played video capturing the officer’s final moments.

The room reportedly fell silent as the footage rolled — a painful reminder of the night that changed her life forever.

Witnesses say the emotional reaction left many in tears, as the trial revisits the heartbreaking seconds leading up to the tragedy

Jonathan Diller’s widow covers her ears as video of her husband’s final moments are played in court

An explosive verdict was reached Wednesday night in the slaying of hero NYPD cop Jonathan Diller — with the jury acquitting the shooter of the top charge of first-degree murder and settling on manslaughter.

Guy Rivera, 36, who fatally shot the officer and married dad outside a cell-phone store in Queens two years ago, was convicted on all of the lesser charges, including aggravated manslaughter, attempted murder of Diller’s partner and weapons raps.

Rivera killed Diller in Far Rockaway on March 25, 2024, in a caught-on-video scuffle with New York’s Finest.

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Stephanie Diller reacting to her husband’s killer Guy Rivera being acquitted of first-degree murder.Gregory P. Mango / pool
Cops were investigating a suspicious vehicle when Rivera shot Diller and had a gun pointed at a police sergeant’s chest when another officer at the scene shot and wounded the goon, authorities said — with the drama captured on heart-stopping bodycam footage.

Rivera, who was a passenger in the parked Kia Soul, was arrested at the scene along with driver Lindy Jones, while Diller was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

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Jones is awaiting trial on felony gun possession charges.

As the deliberations began Wednesday, Rivera’s mother sat in the front row of the courtroom just 6 feet from her son — and sobbed when bodycam footage of the fatal shooting was played after the jury requested a second look.

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Rivera reacting to the verdict at his murder trial.Gregory P. Mango / pool
Dressed in purple, the woman covered her mouth with her hands shaking as the footage played out, then pulled a tissue from her purse to wipe her tears.

During his closing arguments, defense attorney Jamal Johnson claimed that Rivera didn’t intend to shoot and kill Diller. He tried to sway jurors away from the top charge by insisting that the prosuection failed to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that his client meant to kill Diller — which is required for a murder conviction.

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Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz watching on as the verdict was announced.Gregory P. Mango / pool
Johnson suggested surveillance camera footage showed his client didn’t have eyes on the cop when he was shot. He said Diller’s partner, Sgt. Sasha Rosen, allegedly reached into the vehicle before the gun fired to grab Rivera’s firearm — and argued that the ensuing struggle caused the gun to accidentally discharge.

The defense attorney insisted that Rivera could see the guns of other officers aimed at him and knew that firing at a cop could turn into a fatal mistake.

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A crowd of police officers outside Queens criminal court on Wednesday.Gregory P. Mango for NY Post
He also tried to turn the tables by blaming the other cops at the scene for Diller’s shooting death.

“All of the [Command Response Team] officers in this case, they are invested,” Johnson told the jury. “They have a motive to lie.

“You see, this is what happens when you’re stopping people and you’re doing it in a dishonest way and we’re going to speak the truth here today,” he added. “This is how detailed we have to be in our fight for justice.”

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NYPD officers lined up inside the courthouse to support the Diller family.Gregory P. Mango for NY Post
Prosecutor John Kosinski ripped the defense’s claim that Rivera, a career criminal with 21 prior busts, was the victim of a police cover-up.

“Almost a month, almost 30 witnesses,” the prosecutors told jurors. “Stipulations, videos, forensics: You’ve heard it all. What did we hear for two hours this morning? Police liars. Government misleading.

“We didn’t hear about one thing: This man’s actions on that day,” Kosinski said. “That’s why we’re here. This isn’t about the New York City Police Department. It’s about this defendant’s actions on that day.”

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Rivera’s mother Keisha Rivera seen in the courthouse during jury deliberations.Gregory P. Mango for NY Post
The slain officer’s widow, Stephanie Diller, has been in the Queens courtroom for the accused cop killer’s trial with dozens of police officers surrounding her – but she left the room each time photos and videos of her husband’s death have been played for the jury.

On Tuesday, she covered her ears repeatedly to block out the sound of the gunshot that killed her husband from police bodycam videos that captured the slaying.

Several cops, including NYPD officer Veckash Khedna, who shot and wounded Rivera, provided tearful testimony detailing Diller’s last moments of life.

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Stephanie Diller, the widow of slain NYPD cop Jonathan Diller, covers her ears as bodycam footage is played on March 31, 2026.Jeff Bachner/Pool
Rivera’s stunning acquittal of the top count sparked outrage and sadness from NYPD officials and supporters.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch wrote in a statement after the verdict that Diller displayed “a level of courage most could never imagine,” through his service.

“While I am deeply disappointed that Jonathan’s killer was not convicted of the top murder charge, I am grateful that he has been convicted on all other counts. My hope is that the ultimate sentence in this case will reflect the gravity of his actions, and the profound loss he caused for Stephanie, Ryan, the Diller family, the NYPD, and the entire City of New York,” Tisch wrote.

Others wondered where it left future cops hurt or killed in the line of duty.

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Stephanie holds her 1-year-old son, Ryan, at her NYPD husband’s funeral in 2024.James Keivom for NY Post
“NYPD officers are civil servants who leave their families every day to fix problems society refuses to solve. They answer a call to serve and bear witness to atrocities day in, day out,” one source told The Post.

“Miscarriages of justice such as this one will further erode the desire of young men and women to answer the call to serve. Where will that leave society? What is the end goal?” the source added.

Patrick Hendry, president of the NYPD Police Benevolent Association, said Diller’s family is devastated by the verdict.

“I left the family that has had to deal with this nightmare for the last 2 years. And today they got the news, they are still devastated,” Hendry said.

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How The Post covered the tragic 2024 shooting death of Diller.New York Post
“This decision at least gives Jonathan and his family some justice. But it doesn’t give them full closure. The pain will never go away,” he told reporters on the steps outside the courthouse alongside dozens of officers.

Outside the courtroom, Rivera’s mother, who had seen footage of the shooting for the first time, said she was “glad” that her son wasn’t convicted of first-degree murder.

“We got to wait again, it’s dragging on,” she said in reference to her son’s sentencing.

Rivera faces up to 90 years without parole for all four of the counts he was convicted of, with a max of 40 years on the attempted-slay rap.

He would have faced a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted of the top first-degree murder charge.