NEW YORK – Years after a man was accused of killing a Bronx paramedic as she tried to steal the ambulance she was in, a jury on Wednesday found him guilty of first-degree murder .
José González was convicted of murdering 14-year-old FDNY veteran Yadira Arroyo when he hijacked his ambulance while she was working on March 16, 2017. Police say González turned the ambulance in the opposite direction , crushed Arroyo, 44, then advanced. , leading it into an intersection.
The mother of five was pronounced dead a short time later.
Gonzalez had 31 prior arrests and four prior misdemeanors on his record, authorities said. He faced a series of charges including first degree murder, manslaughter and robbery.
González’s lawyer has said in the past that his client suffers from a serious mental illness, but last September González was found fit to stand trial by medical professionals.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said at the time that Gonzalez was evaluated at the Mid-Hudson Forensic Psychiatric Center and it was determined he was no longer considered “an incapable person.”