An ex-cop convicted of the strangulation murder of his wife was sentenced in a Bronx courtroom today to 25 years to life in prison.
Killer Eddy Coello, 41, could have received a minimum sentence of 15 years, but state Supreme Court Judge Ralph Fabrizio threw the book at him for the heinous, cold-blooded nature of the crime.
The former Housing cop had always been a person of interest in the murder of his wife, mother of four Tina Adovasio, 40, whose body was discovered dumped in the woods off the Taconic Parkway five days after she disappeared last March.
During the investigation Coello, who was forced to quit the NYPD in 2000 because of a domestic dispute with an ex-wife, initially told detectives he and Adovasio had a fight and that she scratched him on the face and chest.
Later a surveillance video showed the killer carrying a sheet and a large duffel bag from the couple’s Edison Avenue home in Throggs Neck.
Adovasio had accused Coello of cheating and threatened to divorce him in a barrage of angry text messages.
During jury deliberation last month Coello was seen laughing with his lawyer, a sight that infuriated the strangled nurse’s family.
But he had no reaction when on Oct. 15, the jury announced the guilty verdict of second degree murder after a mere three hours of deliberation.
During the trial witnesses had testified that Coello confessed to killing her, but boasted he would probably only have to do five years because he had a good lawyer.
Even his own lawyer didn’t dispute that Coello put his hands around Adovasio’s throat or that he hauled her body out in a duffel bag and ditched it.
Defense attorney Renee Hill told the jury that none of what happened was her client’s intent.
“He did black out,” Hill said. “He snapped. He put his hands around her throat, and when she was unconscious, he stopped. Unfortunately, it was too late. She died, and he panicked.”
The proof that he panicked, she said, is that the body was dumped in a wooded area but no attempt was made to cover or bury it.
“At best, he sought to cause serious injury. She subsequently died, and that is manslaughter.”
Prosecutor Edward Talty countered in his summation that “The evidence is that one day she was angry. She sent some text messages. Then he came home and killed her. Then he tried to get away with it. He had an excuse for everything, but the excuses ran out.”
The jury agreed.
In a 2006 domestic incident report the hot-tempered Coello went berserk while his wife cradled their crying 1-year-old daughter, Mia, smashing trophies and breaking her cellphone against a wall.
“Wait till you see what I am going to do to your f- – king car. I am going to break all the windows,” he had threatened.