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Jonathan Diller death: Relative tells Kathy Holchul she has ‘blood on her hands,’ gov defends decision to attend wake
An uncle of slain NYPD detective Jonathan Diller allegedly blasted Gov. Kathy Hochul when she stopped by the wake on Friday afternoon, March 29
An uncle of slain NYPD detective Jonathan Diller allegedly blasted Gov. Kathy Hochul when she stopped by the wake on Friday afternoon, March 29. He yelled that “his blood is on your hands,” a source told New York Post. Hochul, however, said that she had not been asked to leave the gathering.
The source said that the family member “was going crazy on her.” “He said, ‘We don’t want you here. You’re not wanted here. You have blood on your hands. If you want to do something, change the bail laws,’” the source said.
Kathy Hochul defends her decision
As Hochul was slammed for attending Diller’s wake, she defended her decision. “I would do it again, and that’s my job,” she said, according to Politico. She insisted that she was not asked to leave, adding that she “understands” why Diller’s family is “outraged.”
“We were told the family is welcoming. We always check, and they said to come, and I went. And no one told me to leave,” Hochul told Politico during an Easter event at the governor’s mansion in Albany.
Hochul also told Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC’s PoliticsNation that she had interacted with Diller’s wife, Stephanie Diller, as well as other family members at the wake. “Everyone is just so distraught – and, yes, there’s a lot of anger,” she said. However, Hochul did not attend the funeral service on Saturday, Match 30.
“Understandably there’s anger about how these individuals could commit crimes over and over and are back out on the street again,” she said.
Diller, 31, was shot dead while performing a routine traffic stop in Far Rockaway. The tragic incident took place after police tried to remove Guy Rivera, the 34-year-old suspect, from the passenger seat of the car near 19-19 Mott Ave. Rivera has now been charged with first-degree murder.
On March 26, Hochul took to X to honour Diller. “I am heartbroken by the senseless killing of Officer Jonathan Diller tonight in Queens. My prayers are with his family, loved ones and the members of the NYPD. His heroism and service will never be forgotten,” she wrote.
In a March 30 post, she announced that flags were at “half-staff on all state buildings today in honor of Officer Jonathan Diller.” “His heroism and dedication to protecting New Yorkers will never be forgotten. Our prayers are with his family, loved ones, and the NYPD as they grieve this senseless loss,” she added.
