QUEENS (WABC) — The widow of an NYPD detective who was shot and killed in Queens in 2024 took the stand on Thursday.
Detective Jonathan Diller’s wife, Stephanie Diller, gave emotional testimony about the death of her husband.
Thursday is the third day of testimony in the murder trial of the accused killer, Guy Rivera.
Stephanie testified the day her husband was murdered, they both had taken off of work to spend quality time together and then he got called into work. She said the last time she spoke to him, he was going to skip him meal break to come home early to have dinner with her. Then 18 minutes later, he was dead.
“My neighbor called and asked, ‘Have you heard from John?’ A cop from the 110th just got shot. I told her I just talked to him it’s not him,” Stephanie said.
The young mother told the court that she had just gotten off of the phone with her husband at 5:30 p.m.
“I started texting ‘John, hey, are you ok?’ but when I saw his location, I saw that he was located at Jamaica Hospital,” Stephanie said.
Around 5:48 p.m., the scene in Far Rockaway showed a Kia Soul with a shattered window, a handgun, and ammunition in full view, and Rivera was on the ground in handcuffs.
Stephanie said her husband’s supervisor called her.
“I just answered the phone and said, ‘Is it him?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘How bad?’ He said, ‘Steph, it’s bad. They’re going to come get you.’ I hung up the phone, and I turned around, and there was an officer at the door,” Stephanie said.
The 31-year-old’s voice was cracking as she described being transported to the hospital by an NYPD Helicoper and waiting with family for doctors to come and talk to them.
“I could see it in his eyes. I said, ‘Did he die, did he die? And he said, ‘Yes, I’m sorry,” Stephanie testified.
The couple has a son, who was 15 months old at the time. He is now 3 years old.
Court will resume on Monday.
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* More local news
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2026 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.
