The heartbroken father of murdered Queens jogger Karina Vetrano is speaking out after his daughter's killer was convicted, saying it feels like 'a weight has been lifted'.
Phil Vetrano held hands with his wife Cathie on Monday as they left court after 22-year-old Chanel Lewis was found guilty on all four counts of murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the brutal killing 30-year-old Karina in 2016.
'It feels like a weight has been lifted. I woke up with a different feeling,' Vetrano said on Tuesday.
'There's no more of that, "Ok, now we got to put him away." Now it's done,' he added.
The day after the guilty verdict, Vetrano returned to the very site where his daughter was slain in Howard Beach's Spring Creek Park in New York and sat at her makeshift memorial where rocks have been laid out in the shape of a butterfly.
Phil Vetrano, the father of slain New York jogger Karina Vetrano, is speaking out after his daughter's killer was convicted of murder yesterday saying, 'It feels like a weight has been lifted'. Phil pictured above in court Monday
On Tuesday he said: 'I woke up with a different feeling. There's no more of that, "Ok, now we got to put him away." Now it's done'. Pictured above Monday with wife Cathie
Phil Vetrano held hands with his wife Cathie on Monday after 22-year-old Chanel Lewis was found guilty on all four counts of murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the brutal killing of 30-year-old Karina in 2016
'It actually gives me peace here. It's the only place I can go to get peace,' he said to the New York Post.
He said he visits the site every day to speak to his late daughter and feed the animals that wander about.
When asked about the case, he credited his daughter with its success.
'She had her hand in this. She's very powerful,' he said.
Following her death the Vetranos family hung a large set of silver angel wings from their second-floor window in honor of Karina.
'My son made those wings. he drew them out, he made them with a plasma cutter. That's my baby's wings,' Vetrano said.
Karina Vetrano was brutally murdered on August 2, 2016 after she went out jogging, and her body was found face-down, dumped near her family's home in Howard Beach.
On Monday, a jury delivered the guilty verdict just hours after they began deliberating following the closing arguments. His previous trial ended in a hung jury in November.
On Monday Chanel Lewis, 22, was found guilty of strangling and sexually abusing Karina Vetrano in Queens in August 2016. Dad Phil pictured with Karina above
Phil shared a note to those following Karina's case on her memorial fund GoFundMe page saying: 'Justice for Karina was served late last night. And it was served mightily and swiftly'
Vetrano's family and supporters erupted into applause when Lewis was found guilty on all counts.
Following the conviction, Phil Vetrano updated a GoFundMe Page for Karina's memorial fund saying: 'As most of you already know by now justice for Karina was served last night. And it was served mightily and swiftly.
'Unlike the first trial this time we had a sane unbiased jury. They saw, heard and comprehended the evidence. It was proven to the world that the beast did what was done to my baby.
'I thank you all for being there for us from the beginning.
