Jury reaches split verdict in Northampton’s only murder trial of 2021

A Hampshire Superior Court jury reached a split verdict in a case involving Northampton’s only homicide of 2021, authorities said Friday.

Steven J. Malloy, of Springfield, accused of fatally shooting Joseph R. Fillio, 39, of Pittsfield, at a Northampton apartment Friday afternoon, was found not guilty of first-degree murder, Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan said.

But the district attorney said the 35-year-old was convicted of illegal weapons possession. He will be held on $10,000 bail until his sentencing.

The prosecutor said jurors deliberated for about five hours Thursday and Friday before announcing the verdicts.

• Read more: Steven Malloy, the suspect in Northampton’s only murder of 2021, will stand trial

The district attorney said the status hearing will be held on November 15. Malloy could face an enhanced prison sentence of up to 15 years for the weapons charge. He will be tried before a different jury at a later date.

Prosecutors said Malloy beat Fillio at a Randolph Place apartment on Dec. 1, 2021. They said he planned to kill her before shooting her.

Fillio had a gunshot wound to his head, prosecutors said in court in 2022. He was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, where he was pronounced dead.