NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A Staten Island man was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison on Friday for murdering an off-duty firefighter in a fit of road rage after a minor fender bender.
Joseph Desmond, 33, fatally struck Faizal Coto in the head with a blunt object after the car accident on Dec. 9, 2018.
“This defendant’s vicious response to a minor fender bender robbed a close family of a loved one and a firefighter community of a brave and treasured brother,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a press release. “Our hearts continue to be with Mr. Coto’s relatives, friends and coworkers as they grieve this unspeakable loss.”
Coto, who was an FDNY firefighter for Engine 245 in Brooklyn, and Desmond had a minor collision on the Belt Parkway and pulled to the side of the road near Exit 4 to Bay 8th Street.
In the span of seconds, Desmond walked to Coto's car, bashed him in the head with a blunt object, re-entered his vehicle and drove away.
Coto collapsed next to his car, and another motorist called 911. EMS rushed him to Coney Island hospital where he was pronounced dead. He had skull fractures and brain hemorrhaging from the attack.
Desmond was arrested at a New Jersey motel and extradited back to New York.
He was convicted of second degree murder last month, and was sentenced in Brooklyn Supreme Court.
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