Killer's Conviction Had Juror Scared for His Life, Report Says

One of the jurors for Giuseppe Tedesco's murder trial said he was scared for his life in the days following the Hopatcong man's conviction for the 2010 shooting death of Alyssa Rugieri, according to a news report.

Speaking under the false name of "John Smith" to New Jersey Herald to protect his identity, the juror told the newspaper Tedesco mouthed an expletive at him as he called his "guilty" decision aloud.

Tedesco, also a Hopatcong resident, was sentenced in Sussex County Court in Newton last week to 70 years in prison after being found guilty in January of first-degree murder. While he will be given credit for the 1,207 days he already served, he will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he will be eligible for parole when he is 84 years old, New Jersey Herald reported.

Ruggieri, who was 22 at the time of her death inside a Durban Avenue home on March 27, 2010, was shot six times in various places, including in the temple, nose, chin, hand, chest and abdomen. Ruggieri and Tedesco were friends, according to court proceedings.

The trial was, at times, heated, particularly when a fight broke out in the courtroom when Tedesco allegedly cursed at jurors and Ruggieri's brother. That fight, and the moments leading up to it, were particularly disturbing, as the juror described to the newspaper.

The juror said he was faced with graphic photographs of Ruggieri's autopsy and that he felt that Tedesco and his legal team were not honest during the trial. He also said that he is hopeful the Ruggieri family finds closure now.