Convicted Maplewood pizzeria killer freed from death row after 19 years

After nearly two decades on death row, the man convicted of killing the owner of a Maplewood restaurant was re-sentenced to life in prison Thursday.In 1986, Anthony DiFrisco was paid $2,500 to murder

News 12 Staff

Jan 5, 2007, 3:53 AM

Updated 6,561 days ago

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After nearly two decades on death row, the man convicted of killing the owner of a Maplewood restaurant was re-sentenced to life in prison Thursday.In 1986, Anthony DiFrisco was paid $2,500 to murder the owner of Jack's Pizzeria. Detectives say he went in to the shop, took a bite out of a slice of pie and fatally shot Ed Potcher five times. Months later, in New York, DiFrisco was arrested for stealing a car and confessed to the murder. Detectives matched his teeth marks to the slice of pizza he bit at the crime scene.Attorneys argued DiFrisco is a changed, non-violent man after 19 years on death row and asked that he be let free from prison. Superior Court Judge Ned Rosenberg instead sentenced him to life with a chance at parole in 11 years. The new sentence allows DiFrisco to move in with the prison's general population. DiFrisco's attorneys plan to appeal to new sentence.