Sentence shortened for ex-teacher who killed NYPD boyfriend

A former New Jersey elementary school teacher twice convicted of murdering her boyfriend, a retired NYPD police officer, had her prison sentence reduced Wednesday from 20 to 18 years by a court judge superior of the State.

Virginia Vertetis was originally sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2017 after being convicted of the murder of Patrick Gilhuley, according to the New Jersey Herald. But an appeals court overturned that verdict in 2020 due to a jury instruction error.

The following year, Vertetis pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in prison for manslaughter. However, an appeals court again overturned that sentence, ruling that it was wrongly imposed based on aggravating circumstances that were not supported by evidence.

On Wednesday, a New Jersey judge reduced that term by two years because of the error made by the bench, the Herald reports.

Sentencing guidelines would require the 62-year-old convict to serve at least 85 percent of his prison term, or more than 15 years. She has already spent almost six years behind bars.

Vertetis unsuccessfully pleaded not guilty on grounds of self-defense during his first trial. According to the accused, the victim strangled her and told her he would kill her before shooting her with a gun he kept under the mattress in his New Jersey home, according to CBS News.

The victim's daughter, Jennifer Gilhuley, told investigators she was on the phone with her father when he was killed.

Gilhuley reportedly made several “frantic” calls to his daughter the night she died.

911 records indicated that Vertetis told police she thought someone had broken into her home, but prosecutors charged during the trial that was not true.

Vertetis and Gilhuley were allegedly involved in an on-and-off relationship for approximately five years. Gilhuley was a retired police officer who was working as a celebrity bodyguard at the time of his death.

Her mother, daughter and brother attended Vertetis' sentencing hearing, where they accused her of trying to “manipulate” the justice system.