On November 15, 2004, Peter Porco, a 52-year-old state Appellate Division court clerk, was found dead of massive head injuries in his home in Delmar, New York. But who is the killer behind this horrific crime?
Christopher Porco was sentenced for murdering his father and attempting to slaughter his mother with a fireman’s ax. Despite the heavy bleeding and extreme brain injury, Peter was still conscious. Part of his brain that regulated reasoning was left impaired.
What Happened on November 15, 2004?
An axe belonging to the family, which was utilized in the attack, was found in the couple’s bedroom. Bethlehem Police soon focused their probe on Christopher Porco, the more youthful of the couple’s two sons, a student at the University of Rochester 230 miles away.
Christopher Porco was at the University of Rochester when his parents were found. He later said he understood the attack from a reporter. He returned to Delmar that night.
On November 15, 2004, Peter Porco was struck from behind but he went about his regular dawning drill, unknowing that he was actually bleeding to death. He stepped into the kitchen, packed a lunch, signed a cheque to cover his son’s parking tickets, and attempted to unload the dishwasher.
Finally, he tumbled to the floor and died, leaving the dreadful but mental-boggling stage for the police to uncover. (Source: Times Union)
The Case Prosecution and the Plot Twist No One Expected
By November 2004, outgoing Albany County District Attorney Paul Clyne summoned a grand jury to attend an affidavit involving Christopher Porco in the murder. Those conveyed to have attested in the closed-session hearing contained Porco’s friends from college, a university campus safety officer, and a former girlfriend. The grand jury would field more additional depositions before giving up an accusation against Christopher in November 2005, one year after the incursions.
But, despite the overwhelming evidence, the mother survived and was in total denial, believing her son was innocent of the charges.
(Source: Bizarre)
The Conviction and Sentencing
The Porco case started on June 27, 2006. The trial was kept in Orange County because of the intense media scope in the Albany area. By August 2, 2006, the prosecution concluded its lawsuit against Porco, and the defense’s suit, which was much faster, began.
On the dawn of August 10, 2006, the jury formed contemplations. Subsequently, Porco was found blameworthy of second-degree killing and attempted murder that day.
On December 12, 2006, Judge Jeffrey Berry convicted Porco of 50 years to life on each count, counting a minimum of 50 years in prison. Judge Berry said, “I fear very much what happened in the early morning hours of November 15 is something that could happen again. Porco will be qualified for parole yet until December 2052. (Source: Times Union)
What Happened After the Sentencing?
Christopher Porco is imprisoned at Clinton Correctional Facility. He demanded his conviction from the Appellate Division, Third Department, and the New York Court of Appeals, but both courts rejected his appeals. He also appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to hear his case without argument. The case was indicated in an episode of Forensic Files.
In 2006, the Porco matter was the subject of an hourlong episode of CBS’s 48 Hours. In 2013, Lifetime aired a film entitled Romeo Killer: The Chris Porco Story; Porco sued and tried to intercept the film’s release. (Source: Times Union)