Mark Dial was convicted in May 2025 of voluntary manslaughter in a mixed verdict that saw the former officer found not guilty of a more serious third-degree murder charge.
On Thursday, July 17, 2025, Dial was sentenced to nine and a half months to two years in prison for voluntary manslaughter and a month to two years for possessing an instrument of crime following the shooting death of 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry.
However, because Dial was already in custody for several months prior to his sentencing, he was granted immediate parole for time served.
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Attorneys for Dial, meanwhile, said their client was a “good man” and they were happy with the ruling.
“We’re just happy that the court took the time to carefully consider the evidence that was presented in this case,” said Fortunato Perri, Jr., one of Mark Dial’s attorneys. “They saw it for what it was, that Mark mistakenly believed that Mr. Irizarry had a gun, his partner yelled ‘gun,’ and Mark reacted, fearing for his life.”
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Dial’s family and friends asked the judge for leniency for the former officer, but it was Mark Dial himself who had the last word, addressing the judge by saying, “I am terribly sorry for the pain I’ve caused Mr. Irizarry’s family, and I will carry that for the rest of my life. I do not want to be defined by this one moment.”
“He’ll be going home and putting the pieces together of a life that was really shattered for a while,” said Brian McMonagle, another of Dial’s attorneys. “We have no doubt that he will continue to give back to his community in the years to come.”