Speaking on Saturday, March 30, Stephanie Diller, the 29-year-old widowed wife of slain New York Police Department Officer Jonathan Diller, gave an emotional eulogy for her murdered husband, speaking about his heroic life and thanking the public for its support after his tragic death. She also called for change, pointing to the many murdered police officers and the soft-on-crime policies that many allege led to some of those deaths, such as the murder of Officer Diller.
As background, Officer Diller was killed in Queens by a career criminal who had been arrested 21 times. After he and his partner pulled over a car in which the killer sat, Officer Diller directed the man to exit the vehicle. Refusing, the man opened fire with a handgun and struck Officer Diller in the stomach, right below his bulletproof vest. He died of his wound in the city’s Jamaica Hospital.
His funeral was on March 30 after a two-day wake on Thursday the 28th and Friday the 29th. When Mrs. Diller approached the podium to speak about her deceased husband, the crowd of mourners responded with a moving, standing ovation.
Then, speaking to the crowd about her husband’s heroic life, she said, “I am so proud that thousands of people across the country are calling Johnathan a hero, but the truth is that he’s always been a hero to Ryan and me.” Adding to that, she remarked, “The rest of the world is just catching up.”
Continuing, Mrs. Diller demanded change, calling attention to the fact that numerous police officers have been killed in the line of duty recently and questioning why more has not been done to protect them. She said, “It’s been two years and two months since Detective Rivera and Detective Mora made the ultimate sacrifice — just like my husband Jonathan Diller. Dominque Rivera stood before all the elected officials present today pleading for change. That change never came. And now my son will grow up without his father, and I will grow old without my husband. And his parents have to say goodbye to their child. How many more police officers and how many families need to make the ultimate sacrifice before we start protecting them?”
Concluding the eulogy, she said she knows her deceased husband is waiting for her in Heaven, saying, “When the gates of Heaven open for me, I hope I will see Jonathan standing there, looking at me like he did on our wedding day. Rest in peace, Jonathan Diller, the man who captured my heart and now all of New York’s.”
She also explained, during the speech, when and why Officer Diller joined the police force, saying, “He . . . decided to become a police officer in 2021. Everyone was so proud that he found something he loved to do, and he was exceptional at it. He would go in early, stay late, work overtime, all because he just loved it. It’s no surprise he was an incredible police officer when you think about what type of man he was. He was always putting people above himself, dropping everything to help someone in need, and speaking up for what was right. He was a fierce protector of everyone around him. He spoke his mind and he wasn’t afraid. I always admired him for his honesty and courage. He was my absolute greatest confidante.”
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Watch her powerful eulogy here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video