Franklin Square cop charged in murder-for-hire

A Franklin Square NYPD officer who was arrested last week and charged with hiring a handyman to kill his wife is strenuously protesting the case, his lawyer said.

Anthony Battisti, a Franklin Square man and member of the NYPD, was arrested on Sept. 4 and charged with attempted murder, conspiracy, assault and possession of a dangerous weapon. Police say he hired the handyman to kill his wife in January. The officer, who has been on the force for nearly two decades, had reportedly become jealous of a relationship that his ex-wife was engaged in with a firefighter.

In January, Timothy Gersbeck, a handyman who had done work for Battisti in the past, attacked Battisti's ex-wife Patricia with a screwdriver outside the Franklin Square home where she and the defendant had once lived. According to police, Patricia Battisti was injured in the attack when Gersbeck stabbed her in the neck with the screwdriver. She was taken to a local hospital and listed in serious condition at the time.

Now Battisti's lawyer, Stephen Scaring, maintains that Patricia Battisti was not injured in the attack, saying "there wasn't even a break in the skin."

Scaring said he believes the attack was blown out of proportion and that Gersbeck is trying to foist much of the blame for it onto the police officer.

Scaring said both he and his client were shocked that the investigation even led to an indictment. He said so both in court and in an interview on Wednesday afternoon.

"The case lacks any substance, I'm surprised that they even brought it before the court," Scaring said in an interview.

Scaring also said that when it came to motive, the investigation simply didn't stack up, and would likely be quickly dismissed in court.

While Battisti was embroiled in a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife over their son, Scaring claimed Battisti was winning when the attack took place in January. He also maintained that his client was in a relationship himself at the time and that his ex-wife's social activities would not have been a concern.

"My client had zero motive to do anything in this case, he was winning the custody battle for his son," Scaring said. "The so-called handyman has got something going on, whatever it is, I don't know. ... The whole story is made up. I don't know why, but we're going to find out."