By Kerry Burke, Larry McShane
New York Daily News
NEW York 鈥� A deranged defendant with a lengthy rap sheet was convicted Wednesday for murdering a beloved Bronx FDNY emergency medical technician with her own hijacked ambulance, ending a nearly six-year wait for justice by her heartbroken family and friends.
Jose Gonzalez, 31, heard the verdict following a month-long trial and two days of deliberations in the gruesome killing of veteran EMT Yadira Arroyo, the mother of five sons. He stood impassively as the decision was announced.
Gonzalez was charged with twice running down the first responder with her stolen truck in the March 16, 2017, killing that shocked the city and devastated her colleagues. Co-workers wept in the courtroom and shared hugs outside with the victim鈥檚 family.
The decision came eight days before the sixth anniversary of the death of the 44 year old, who was revered by her co-workers. The case was repeatedly before Gonzalez was finally deemed mentally fit to face a Bronx jury.
The trial began last month following a pitched legal battle where defense lawyers unsuccessfully argued he was too sick to stand trial.
Arroyo was a 14-year FDNY EMS veteran when she went to work on overtime on the eve of St. Patrick鈥檚 Day, with prosecutor Michael Schordine of her final tour of duty in his opening argument.
鈥淒ragged by the rear wheel down the street,鈥� he told jurors. 鈥淪he was dead, never to finish her shift. This wasn鈥檛 a tragic accident ... This was so much more. It wasn鈥檛 an accident, it was a murder.鈥�
Jurors watched a video of the fatal encounter between Arroyo and the drug-addled suspect with a rap sheet of 31 prior arrests. Arroyo鈥檚 distraught partner was seen screaming 鈥渕y f---ing partner!鈥� as an off-duty MTA police officer and .
During one pre-trial hearing last year, Gonzalez insisted Arroyo鈥檚 death was an accident and His first court appearance came in April 2017, when he pleaded innocent.
The details of Arroyo鈥檚 killing remained fresh despite the passage of time. She was working with partner Monique Williams when they spotted Gonzalez riding on the back of their truck around 7:15 p.m.
When the EMTs pulled over, Gonzalez jumped off the vehicle and tried to rob a passing man鈥檚 backpack, authorities said. Gonzalez came out to investigate, with the defendant climbed inside the ambulance and twice running her over.
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