Man gets 11 years in state prison

Former Tenafly police officer Joseph Grieco was sentenced to 11 years in state prison after he was found guilty of first-degree aggravated manslaughter in the fatal shooting of his husband, John Kelly, on July 26, 2023, in Vernon.

Prosecutors argued for a 20-year sentence while defense argued for five years.

Judge Michael Gaus, who presided at the trial, sentenced Grieco to 11 years and ordered that he serve 85 percent of that time before he is eligible for parole.

“The sentencing by the court underscores the importance of safe and responsible gun ownership and the deadly consequences that can occur should a person disregard this responsibility,” said acting Sussex County Prosecutor Sahil Kabse.

During the trial, there was testimony or evidence that from the evening of July 25, 2023, into the early morning hours of July 26, 2023, Grieco, 38, and Kelly, 44, returned home after a night out with friends. Grieco had consumed alcohol at the Vernon Veterans of Foreign Wars post earlier in the evening and continued to drink while at home with Kelly and friends.

In the early morning of July 26, 2023, Grieco retrieved his handgun, a Gen4 Glock Model 23, and began to handle it despite being warned multiple times that it was loaded. The gun discharged, striking Kelly in the abdomen.

Emergency services responded and Kelly, a former New York City police officer, was taken to a hospital in Warwick, N.Y., where he died of his injuries.