Florida doctor charged in 2019 Brattleboro-area killing faces March 2027 trial

Jozsef Piri faces a trial date in March 2027 for the 2019 shooting death of a delivery driver on Route 103 in Rockingham, Vermont. The case has been pending for seven years, with Piri arrested five years after the incident.

Piri appeared via video Monday for a status conference before a Vermont judge. He is charged with second-degree murder for the killing of Roberto Fonseca-Rivera, 44, a delivery truck driver from the Boston area. Piri is currently living in Florida and is out on bail set at $250,000.

Windham County State’s Attorney Steve Brown stated the state has acted to move the case forward in a timely fashion. Brown noted that the state would have preferred the case to proceed more quickly. He attributed the delay to extensive pretrial motion practice, which took approximately two years to resolve.

Court documents indicate road rage likely contributed to the encounter. Police used surveillance footage, GPS data, photographs, and other circumstantial evidence to identify Piri. He had a second home in Vermont at the time of the shooting and was arrested two years later.

Adam Hescock, Piri’s defense attorney, said the prosecution’s witness list includes more than 300 people. Hescock stated the defense intended to ask the state to reduce the list because it is exceedingly long. A motion to dismiss was previously rejected by the judge.

According to the Florida Health Department, Piri’s license to practice medicine expired at the end of 2023. He appeared relaxed during the virtual appearance Monday. The trial is expected to last several weeks.

WCAX News reached out to Piri’s attorney for comment but did not receive a response before publication. The next scheduled proceeding is the trial in March 2027.