Albany County District Attorney David Soares has a new chief assistant.
The district attorney’s office announced on Thursday, July 16, that David Rossi has been promoted as the county’s newest chief assistant district attorney following the retirement of Mark B. Harris who previously held the post.
Rossi has worked on several high profile cases, most notably the trial of Christopher Porco for the murder of his father, Peter, and the attempted murder of his mother, Joan, in their Delmar home.
Rossi’s work as a co-prosecutor on the Porco trial will be featured tonight on Forensic Files, a true crime docudrama, which airs on TruTV at 10 p.m.
He also was the lead prosecutor in the trial of Erik Westervelt, who was convicted of murdering Timothy Gray in Delmar five weeks prior to the Porco murder.
Soares’ spokeswoman Heather Orth said Rossi has also successfully prosecuted several other major homicide cases including the trial of Jermayne Timmons for the murder of Kathina Thomas; the trial of Jovan Underdue for the triple homicide committed in January 2008; and the trial of former boxer Joel Scott for the murder of Dorothy Royal.
In a release, Soares said Rossi is a highly competent choice.
`I am very pleased that David Rossi has accepted the position of Chief Assistant District Attorney. David’s dedication to the pursuit of justice, proven leadership within the office and superior trial experience give me complete confidence in his ability to take on the challenges ahead,` he said. `I look forward to working with David to continue to serve and empower victims of crime in Albany County.`
Rossi, an Albany Law School graduate, has served as an assistant DA in Albany County for the past 10 years, most recently serving as the bureau chief of the Homicide and Special Victims Units.