Bethlehem Supervisor Theresa Egan said that Thursday, Aug. 10 was a very sad day. At around 5 p.m. on that day, Bethlehem resident Christopher Porco was found guilty of murdering his father, Peter Porco, and attempting to murder his mother, Joan Porco.
Peter Porco was a friend, and I still miss him every day, Egan, who worked in a private law practice and was a town judge before being elected supervisor, said at about 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 10. `Despite the verdict, this is a tragedy for the family. My heart goes out to Joan, Johnathan and Peter’s family.`
Johnathan Porco is Christopher Porco’s brother. He is in the U.S. Navy and is stationed on a submarine.
Egan had high praise for the Albany County District Attorney’s office, and its chief prosecutor in the case, Michael McDermott. Although Egan said she had stayed away from Orange County to let the process take its course, she was in the courtroom on Wednesday, Aug. 9, the day that McDermott and Defense Attorney Laurie Shanks delivered their closing arguments.
`I thought it was important to be there yesterday,` Egan said. `I wanted to be there for the (police) department and for Julie Cannizzarro.`
Cannizzarro is the administrative assistant to Judge Anthony Cardona, for whom Peter Porco was law clerk.
`Both sides did an incredible job,` Egan said of the closing arguments.
Egan also stood behind the Bethlehem police department, which has come under attack for its investigative work in the Porco case.
`The police department has been under fire for a long time,` Egan said. `Some of the insults are not worth repeating. From the beginning, people said it was ‘only’ the Bethlehem police department (who investigated the case).`
Egan said that several law enforcement agencies had been involved in the investigation since the beginning.
`Within a few hours of the crime taking place, the Bethlehem police worked with outside agencies,` Egan said.
In recent months, two members of the police force have died. John Cox died after a long illness, and Anthony Arduini was fatally stricken after returning from a walk one evening.
`A murder investigation like this puts pressure on any department,` Egan said. `It means there are not as many people on hand. Add to that the death of two men who had a combination of 60 years’ experience. This department has been under a lot of stress and has done an admirable job. They have withstood insults, kept their eyes on the end game, and let the DA do his job. This verdict brings a sigh of relief.`
Egan said she is looking forward to having all of the police force back in Bethlehem.
She also said that the case was at a point where `it needed to be decided.`
`It was all anyone could talk about,` she said. `For anyone related to the case, it’s been a draining 18 months.`
Still, Egan said it’s not a day of extreme joy.
`We have one man who is dead, another who could be going to jail for life, and one woman who is severely injured,` Egan said.
See all the Spotlight News stories on the Porco trial here
