Ex-LAPD Officer Sentenced For Killing Girlfriend’s Son In Hudson Valley

A Dutchess County Christmas tree farm owner and former LAPD officer was sentenced for fatally shooting his girlfriend's 20-year-old son.

Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi announced that 54-year-old Thomas Case was sentenced in Dutchess County Court on Tuesday for the October 2024 shooting death of Anthony Cuozzo.

Former LAPD Officer & Local Christmas Tree Owner Sentenced

DCDA

Case is a retired member of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). After moving to Dutchess County, New York, he operated the Bilmar Nursery Christmas tree farm on Rawls Road in Pleasant Valley.

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Case was dating Cuozzo's mother at the time of the fatal shooting. Authorities say Cuozzo was actively on the phone with 911 when Case shot him four times in the back outside his Bilmar Nursery property.

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A jury found Case guilty of first-degree manslaughter in May.

The jury determined that on October 5, 2024, in the Town of Pleasant Valley, Case intentionally killed 20-year-old Anthony Cuozzo, his girlfriend’s son, by shooting him multiple times in the back following a physical altercation where Cuozzo stabbed Case in the chest.

Cuozzo graduated from Arlington High School.

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"Anthony was an amazing kid who lit up the room and brought joy to all who knew him. He was incredibly funny, making people laugh all the time," his obituary states.

Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison

Case was initially charged with second-degree murder, but the jury found that Case acted under the "influence of extreme emotional disturbance."

On Tuesday, Case was sentenced to 20 years in prison and 5 years of post-release supervision.

“Today’s sentence holds Thomas Case accountable for taking the life of a young man, Anthony Cuozzo. Anthony’s family has endured an unimaginable loss, and no sentence can restore what was taken from them. We hope, however, that today’s outcome provides some measure of justice and brings a degree of finality after a long and difficult process," Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi said.

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