By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Lindy Jones, 43, pleaded guilty Wednesday to criminal possession of a weapon in Queens Supreme Court for carrying a loaded 9-millimeter pistol with a scratched-off serial number in his vehicle during the March 2024 shooting death of NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller.
- Jones was behind the wheel of a Kia Soul when his passenger, Guy Rivera, opened fire on Diller during a traffic stop in Far Rockaway; officers recovered the illegal firearm from Jones’ glove box following a search warrant.
- Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Yavinsky indicated he would impose a five-year prison sentence on July 14.
- Jones claimed he had picked up Rivera hitchhiking and met him only on the day of the shooting, according to Queens Assistant District Attorney Gabriel Reale.
- Jones has a prior 2023 weapons arrest in Far Rockaway, during which he told arresting officers he shot people; his passenger Rivera was separately convicted and sentenced to 115 years in prison.
QUEENS, N.Y. — Lindy Jones, 43, pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon Wednesday in connection with the March 2024 shooting death of NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller, acknowledging he carried a loaded, defaced firearm in his vehicle at the time of the fatal encounter.
Jones was operating a Kia Soul idling in Far Rockaway when his passenger, Guy Rivera, opened fire on Diller during a traffic stop. Officers obtained a search warrant and recovered a loaded 9-millimeter pistol with its serial number intentionally scratched from the glove box of Jones’ vehicle. Diller was fatally shot with a different weapon belonging to Rivera.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz issued a statement following the guilty plea, noting the devastation caused by illegal firearms. “Lindy Jones drove around the streets of Queens with a loaded, defaced firearm that threatened the lives of everyone he encountered. We have seen firsthand the devastation illegal guns cause as we continue to mourn the killing of Detective Jonathan Diller at the hands of Jones’ codefendant.”
At an earlier arraignment, Queens Assistant District Attorney Gabriel Reale stated that Jones told police he had given Rivera a ride after spotting the man hitchhiking and claimed they had only met on the day of Diller’s shooting. Reale noted the circumstances of their brief association during the court proceeding.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Yavinksky indicated during Wednesday’s hearing that he would sentence Jones to five years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for July 14.
Jones carries a prior weapons arrest from 2023 in Far Rockaway, according to law enforcement sources. During that arrest, Jones told arresting officers, “My name is Lindy Jones, and I shoot people,” the sources said.
Guy Rivera, the passenger who fired the fatal shots, was separately tried and convicted in April following a three-week trial. Rivera was convicted of aggravated manslaughter, attempted murder, and multiple gun charges related to Diller’s killing. Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise subsequently sentenced Rivera to 115 years in prison in April.