The man accused of running over and killing FDNY EMT Yadira Arroyo with her own ambulance in the Bronx nearly six years ago was found guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder.
Jose Gonzalez, 31, was accused of fatally hitting Arroyo after commandeering her vehicle in the Soundview section of the Bronx on March 16, 2017.
Gonzalez also faced charges including manslaughter in connection with Arroyo's death, but jurors on Wednesday were told not to consider those charges after convicting Gonzalez on the first-degree murder charge.
He faces a sentence of life in prison.
The verdict came a day after jurors heard closing arguments in Gonzalez' trial. Both Gonzalez' own attorneys and prosecutors agreed he was responsible for Arroyo's death, but differed over whether he intended to kill the 44-year-old mother of five.
While the defense maintained he was in a PCP-fueled state of "delusional psychosis" when he hit Arroyo, prosecutors argued that he was aware of his actions and meant to run her over.
Gonzalez was initially deemed unfit to stand trial after the incident, with his attorney at the time claiming he had a "severe mental illness."
Health care professionals who evaluated him last year, however, found that he was "no longer an incapacitated person," Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said at the time — a ruling lauded by Arroyo's family members and colleagues, who had hoped to see him stand trial.
“The road to justice for Yadi was tortuous; this case was delayed because of numerous hearings regarding the defendant’s fitness to stand trial, but her family and FDNY colleagues were patient and steadfast from the beginning until today’s verdict,” Clark said in a statement Wednesday.
In her own statement, FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said Arroyo’s family had “lived with the heartbreak of her murder at the hands of Jose Gonzalez” for six years.
“Today, we are grateful to the Bronx district attorney and the jurors who have found him guilty — and know this justice is one step to help all those who loved Yadi heal,” Kavanagh said.
Gonzalez is set to be sentenced on April 5, the DA’s office said.
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