Officer Anthony Battisti Arrested for Hiring Handyman to Kill His Ex-Wife

Anthony Battisti had asked his handyman to do odd jobs in the past.

But in January of this year, the New York City police officer came up with an especially odd one - killing his ex-wife, prosecutors said.

Friday morning, Battisti, 42, of Franklin Square, was arrested and charged with first-degree attempted murder for allegedly hiring handyman Timothy Gersbeck, 37, of Levittown, to kill his ex-wife, Patricia, for $5,000.

If convicted of that and other charges, Battisti could face life in prison.

Gersbeck was charged in January with going to Patricia Battisti's Franklin Square home and stabbing her three times in the back of her neck with a screwdriver. Patricia Battisti, 44, survived the attack.

Gersbeck's case has since been sealed and prosecutors will not comment on it. Battisti's lawyer, Stephen Scaring of Garden City, said it's likely Gersbeck's case is sealed because he is cooperating with prosecutors.

At Battisti's arraignment in Mineola on Friday, prosecutor Michael Canty asked Nassau County Judge David Sullivan to hold Battisti without bail.

He also asked that Battisti be held in Suffolk County jail, rather than Nassau. He did not say why, but Scaring said it was to keep him separated from Gersbeck, who is being held in Nassau.

Sullivan ordered that Battisti be held in Suffolk until his next appearance Wednesday. He deferred a decision on bail until then.

"The people have a very strong case," prosecutor Michael Canty said in court.

According to New York City police, Battisti was suspended in January and remains suspended. In standard NYPD practice, an internal investigation will be conducted after the criminal proceedings are complete, they said.

Patricia Battisti, who was in serious condition after the attack, has since recovered.

District Attorney Kathleen Rice, in a statement, said, "I'm sickened by this officer's betrayal of the badge. We cannot let one single act by one officer overshadow the brave work by men and women who wear the uniform and put themselves in harm's way every day to protect our families and our neighborhoods."

Patricia Battisti was at the center of another court case recently, when she sued North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System for, she alleged, infecting her with syphilis during an operation in 2005.

When a second test showed that Battisti was not infected with the disease, the hospital countersued. That case has been resolved, Patricia Battisti's lawyer said, declining to provide specifics.