A New Jersey court has sentenced former Tenafly, New Jersey, cop Joseph Grieco to 11 years in prison for accidentally shooting and killing his husband, John Kelly, in July 2023. A jury declared Grieco guilty of first-degree aggravated manslaughter in January 2025 stemming from Kelly’s death. At the trial, Grieco testified that after a night of heavy drinking with friends, he picked up his Gen4 Glock Model 23 pistol. Grieco, ignoring warnings that the gun was loaded, demonstrated to the group how to kill a snake when the firearm discharged. The shot hit Kelly in the abdomen. Kelly, 44, a former New York City cop, later died from his injuries.
According to the Sussex County Prosecutor’s office, the jury convicted Grieco, 38, after a week-long trial and heard testimony from several eyewitnesses and a medical examiner and ballistics expert. “This tragic incident underscores the inherent recklessness of handling firearms under the influence of alcohol,” Acting Sussex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray said of Grieco’s sentencing. Grieco must serve 85% of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
“I wish the freak accident never happened”
Reports say Kelly and Grieco were together 14 years before Kelly died. According to the New Jersey news outlet Daily Voice, before the accident, the couple bought 100 acres near the New York state border and planned to build a home there. Grieco reportedly retired from the Tenafly force living with what he said were symptoms of long COVID.
“I wish that freak accident never happened,” Grieco reportedly wrote after Kelly’s death in a since-deleted post on social media, “but unfortunately freak accidents are always a game of what ifs… constant moments of steps that led to a single moment, followed by horrific grief,” Grieco’s post added.
A jury convicted Grieco of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, indicating they believed he did not intend to kill his husband but acted recklessly. This charge is often used when drugs or alcohol are involved in a death.
“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” acting Sussex Prosecutor Sahil K. Kabses said in a press release when Grieco’s sentencing was announced.
