Former Connecticut Doctor Blames Deadly Vermont Road Rage Shooting On Bad Day

A former Connecticut doctor facing a second-degree murder charge for a 2019 road rage shooting in Vermont allegedly told police he was having a “expletive day,” according to the Hartford Courant.

Dr. Jozsef Piri was arrested in Florida by Collier County Sheriff’s deputies along with Vermont State Police detectives last week for the shooting of Roberto Fonseca-Rivera, a truck driver for Katsiroubas Produce. Piri is being held in the Collier County jail as he awaits extradition to Vermont.

On November 1, 2019, Piri was heading back to his home in West Simsbury, Connecticut after attempting to fix an ongoing issue he had with a property in Londonderry, Vermont, according to court documents reviewed by the Hartford Courant.

Fonseca-Rivera was driving south in his produce truck, heading to Hyde Park, Massachusetts after a delivery to a Vermont restaurant. A co-worker alerted Vermont State Police after he failed to arrive.

Police later found Fonseca-Rivera in the front seat of his truck with a gunshot wound. They also found two bullet holes in the windshield. An autopsy revealed that he died from a gunshot wound to his neck and head, according to Courant.

Police discovered that Piri was driving ahead of Fonseca-Riviera on Route 103 after spotting him on video.

The truck driver was on the telephone with a friend shortly before the shooting. That friend told police that Fonseca-Rivera told him about a car speeding up and slowing down in front of him, according to the Courant.

The friend also told authorities that he heard “what appeared to be a deep inhale” and the sound of Fonseca-Riviera’s cell phone dropping to the floor.

The newspaper reported that police interviewed Piri on November 2. He told them that he didn’t sleep well because of a wind storm the night before and was frustrated by the cost of a new power line and water pump at his Londonderry home. He described it as “an [expletive] day,” according to the Hartford Courant.

Police found a magnetic gun holster after searching Piri’s Toyota Tundra. Police also found a 9 mm caliber handgun in Piri’s Londonderry home, according to the newspaper. The gun’s barrel and slide were missing – both are needed for forensic testing.

The Courant also reported that Piri searched for news in the Rockingham area and tried to erase his search history. 

"We are gratified that Vermont state police stayed on this difficult investigation," Ted Katsiroubas, CEO of Katsiroubas Produce to the CTInsider. "We hope that justice may be done for Roberto and that it may bring his family some peace."

Before moving to Florida, Piri, 49 worked in Bloomfield, Connecticut for Starling Physicians, the Courant reported.