• Sports News
  • POP Culture News
  • Who were charged in Diane Delia's murder? Details explored ahead of Murder in the Big Apple on ID
Diane Delia's husband Robert Ferrara [left] and her lover Robyn Arnold [right] (Image via Bonnie's Blog of Crime)

Who were charged in Diane Delia's murder? Details explored ahead of Murder in the Big Apple on ID

The husband and the lover of transsexual model Diane Delia were arrested and charged with her murder a week after her body was found in the Hudson River with four gunshot wounds to the head in 1981. Diane's husband, Robert Ferrara, reportedly confessed to his involvement in a written letter to a man named Dominick Georgio, who tipped authorities, leading to the arrests.

Robert was found guilty of second-degree murder the following year, while the victim's lover, Robyn Arnold, a Jewish-American nurse, was acquitted of the charges. The former was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison and, according to The Cinemaholic, was released from the NYS DOC Woodbourne Correctional Facility in New York on parole in 2008.

Ad

ID's Murder in the Big Apple will chronicle Diane Delia's murder case in an episode titled Friends, Lovers, Killers, which is scheduled to air on the channel this Thursday, June 1, at 10:00 pm ET.

Here's what the synopsis for the upcoming episode reveals:

"The murder of transgender woman Diane Delia uncovers a volatile marriage, a confusing love triangle and an illicit affair; the detectives lack the evidence to make an arrest until someone comes forward with a shocking story."
Ad

A letter from Diane Delia's husband was used to implicate him in the murder

Ad
I’m looking up a crime that happened in 1981 in New York City. The murder of transsexual Diane Delia (John Delia). No child should be exposed to this stuff. #TuesdayTrivia

Robert Ferrara and Robyn Arnold faced murder charges in connection with the shooting death of transsexual model Diane Delia on October 7, 1981, whose body was found in the Hudson River. The victim at the time was Robyn's lover and Robert's wife.

During the trial which was held at the New York State Supreme Court, prosecutors presented letters reportedly written by Robert while in jail to witness Dominick Giorgio. Those letters were used to implicate both him and Robyn, who were already considered primary suspects, in Diane's slaying. Robyn was eventually cleared of all charges on October 19, 1982.

Meanwhile, Robert Ferrara was convicted of second-degree murder and given a sentence of 25 years to life in prison in February 1983. He was released from the NYS DOC Woodbourne Correctional Facility in New York on parole in 2008 and his current whereabouts remain uncertain.

Ad

Diane Delia had known both Robert Ferrara and Robyn Arnold from before undergoing s*x reassignment surgery

@sookietex That’s what I’m saying. I don’t want kids to end up like John/Diane Delia. This poor person suffered a fatal tragedy. A messy Love Triangle.
Ad

According to reports, Diane Delia, formerly known as John Delia, met Robyn Arnold in 1979 and started a relationship with her. John then underwent s*x reassignment surgery in Colorado and came to be identified as Diane. But soon their relationship faltered and Diane married her former flame Robert Ferrara, who John had previously met at a gay bar where he worked as a bartender.

Diane and Robert were in an open marriage and she continued to pursue her relationship with Robyn before eventually moving out of the home she shared with her husband and in with her lover. Not long after, her dead body was found in the Hudson.

Reports state that the three individuals were embroiled in a complicated love triangle at the time and that Robert Ferrara and Robyn Arnold drove Diane to a wooded area where they each shot her twice in the head. In his confession, Robert claimed that Robyn fired the first two shots following which he shot her twice more to end the predicament on October 7, 1981.

Ad

Learn more about the case on ID's Murder in the Big Apple this Thursday.

Ad

Quick Links

Edited by
Babylona Bora
 
See more
More from Sportskeeda