The trial of Thomas Case ended on May 15, 2026, when a Dutchess County jury convicted the 54-year-old retired Los Angeles Police Department officer of first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of 20-year-old Anthony Cuozzo. Case had been charged with second-degree murder, but jurors found he acted under the influence of extreme emotional disturbance and returned the lesser verdict. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8, 2026, and faces five to 25 years in state prison.1Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office. Jury Convicts Thomas Case of Manslaughter in the First Degree
What Happened on October 5, 2024
New York State Police and the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office responded that evening to a residence on Rawls Road in Pleasant Valley. Investigators determined that Cuozzo stabbed Case in the chest during a dispute, and Case then shot Cuozzo multiple times with a semi-automatic handgun.2Poughkeepsie Journal. Thomas Case Convicted of First-Degree Manslaughter Cuozzo was taken to Vassar Hospital, where he died of his wounds.3Yahoo News. 20-Year-Old Killed in Shooting During Dispute in Pleasant Valley
Case was treated for his stab wound and underwent surgery. After checking himself out of the hospital and returning to the residence, he was struck with a blunt object in a second altercation, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries.3Yahoo News. 20-Year-Old Killed in Shooting During Dispute in Pleasant Valley No arrests were made that night, and the investigation continued for months before charges were filed.
Who Thomas Case and Anthony Cuozzo Were
The two men were not strangers. Cuozzo was the son of Case’s girlfriend and worked for Case at Bilmar Nursery and Christmas Tree Farm, the business Case ran after retiring from the LAPD and moving to the Pleasant Valley area. That relationship became central at trial, where Case testified that Cuozzo had been “on a rampage” and was threatening to kill his own mother and sister before stabbing Case in the chest with a pocketknife.4Mid Hudson News. Alleged Murderer Finishes Second Day of Cross-Examination, Closing Arguments Today
The Original Charges
Case was indicted in January 2025 on one count of second-degree murder, a Class A-1 felony, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, both Class C violent felonies.5Hudson Valley Post. Murder in Upstate New York, 1 Arrested Prosecutors alleged the semi-automatic handgun used in the shooting was unlawfully possessed.6Daily Voice. Retired LAPD Cop Convicted of Manslaughter in Fatal Shooting of 20-Year-Old in Pleasant Valley Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi said at the time that Cuozzo had been “intentionally” shot. Case was remanded without bail.7iHeart Radio Hudson Valley. Dutchess County Man Charged With Murder in Shooting
The Trial and the Jury’s Decision
The case was tried in Dutchess County Court before Judge Karen Edelman-Reyes, with Senior Assistant District Attorneys Joseph Gruner and Anthony DeFazio prosecuting. Case took the stand in his own defense and was cross-examined over two days before closing arguments.4Mid Hudson News. Alleged Murderer Finishes Second Day of Cross-Examination, Closing Arguments Today
After five and a half days of testimony and six days of deliberations, the jury returned its verdict on May 15, 2026. Jurors rejected the second-degree murder charge and instead convicted Case of first-degree manslaughter, a Class B violent felony. They found that he had intentionally killed Cuozzo by shooting him multiple times, but that he acted under the influence of extreme emotional disturbance.1Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office. Jury Convicts Thomas Case of Manslaughter in the First Degree
Why the Jury Reduced the Charge
Under New York Penal Law § 125.20, a killing that would otherwise be murder can be reduced to first-degree manslaughter if the defendant acted under the influence of extreme emotional disturbance. It is a mitigating factor the jury decides.8New York State Senate. New York Penal Law Section 125.20 – Manslaughter in the First Degree The six-day deliberation reflects how closely jurors weighed that question against the prosecution’s case that Cuozzo was intentionally shot.
Sentencing
Case is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8, 2026, before Judge Edelman-Reyes. First-degree manslaughter carries a determinate sentence of five to 25 years in state prison.1Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office. Jury Convicts Thomas Case of Manslaughter in the First Degree