Former NYPD officer Eddy Coello has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for murdering his estranged wife and dumping her body in a heavily wooded area off the Taconic State Parkway in Yorktown, according to news reports.
Coello, who was convicted of Tina Adovasio's murder last month, was sentenced on Wednesday, according to the New York Times. The judge, Ralph Fabrizio of State Supreme Court, imposed the maximum sentence allowed by law, the Bronx district attorney’s office told the paper.
Adovasio, who worked as a nurse in the Maternity Department at the Sound Shore Medical Center in New Rochelle, was found dead five days after she went missing on March 11, 2011. Later that month, family members and friends gathered to mourn her death at St. John the Evangelist Church in Mahopac.
Authorities said the 40-year-old mother of four had filed for divorce from Coello to leave a situation that had her husband arrested three times for domestic violence against her.
According to an article in the Journal News, the man apologized to Adovasio's family prior to the sentencing and admitted he had "snapped," the paper reported.
Coello tried to cover up the murder, but during the trial the jury was shown a pixilated surveillance camera footage, which showed Coello leaving Adovasio's apartment building with a large duffel bag. Adovasio's body was found in Yorktown by two teenagers riding ATVs.
One of the Yorktown police officers working the detail that night was Adovasio's cousin – Yorktown Police Officer Mark Rapisarda. According to police, he identified his cousin when her body was discovered. He also testified in court last month.
According to news reports, Coello, who worked as a physician's assistant two years prior to the murder, had confessed killing his wife to his boss and a former girlfriend.
For Patch's coverage, click on the links below:
- Former NYPD Officer Charged With Murder of His Wife
- Updated: Body Found in Yorktown is Missing Bronx Nurse
- Yorktown Cop Testifies in Murder Trial
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