05/18/2008

Celona next up in as CVS trial resumes
The imprisoned ex-senator will testify as the bribery and conspiracy trial of two former executives begins its second week.

05/17/2008

Foster mother found guilty in slaying of 3-year-old nephew
PROVIDENCE –– If Thomas “T.J.” Wright were alive today, he would be in kindergarten or the first grade, an energetic little boy who, when the radio was turned on, would get up and dance around the room.

05/16/2008

Another view on dog’s killer
NORTH KINGSTOWN — Dr. Meredith Bird can’t reconcile the Edgar Goulet convicted Monday of maliciously shooting his pit bull to death with the man who bottle-fed his pups and for years tenderly cared for a dog with Addison’s disease.

Fake doctor loses appeal
John E. Curran, 43, of Exeter, claimed his prison sentence was too long.

House OKs bill to destroy criminal records
The bill would eliminate records of cases in which the accused received a deferred sentence.

Jury still out in child abuse death case
The jury in the Katherine Bunnell child-murder trial deliberated all day yesterday without reaching a verdict.

CVS lawyers say Celona hired for public relations reasons
The two former CVS executives on trial for bribery have contended that the former state senator was hired for community relations.

House OKs bill to destroy criminal records
The bill would eliminate records of cases in which the accused received a deferred sentence.

Jury still out in child abuse death case
The jury in the Katherine Bunnell child-murder trial deliberated all day yesterday without reaching a verdict.

Fake doctor loses appeal
John E. Curran, 43, of Exeter, claimed his prison sentence was too long.

CVS lawyers say Celona hired for public relations reasons
The two former CVS executives on trial for bribery have contended that the former state senator was hired for community relations.

Man gets 18 years in prison for photographing two young sisters
Barry Zurybida, 51, of Middletown, was accused of photographing two sisters who were between ages 4 and 7.

05/15/2008

CVS trial: Outage interrupts tale of power
An assistant to one of the two CVS executives accused of bribing former Sen. John Celona describes obtaining the coveted items for Celona.

Outage interrupts tale of power
A assistant to one of the two CVS executives accused of bribing former Sen. John Celona describes obtaining the coveted items for Celona.

Woman served alcohol to teen before fatal crash, police say
WEST WARWICK — A local woman has been charged with serving alcohol to a 17-year-old youth on the night his car struck and killed another motorist on Route 2 in Warwick last March.

Deliberations begin in child-murder trial
The jurors meet for three hours but don’t reach a verdict in the murder trial of Katherine Bunnell.

05/14/2008

Woman, 64, charged in multiple thefts
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — The police say a 64-year-old local woman stole Tiffany lamps, computers, televisions and thousands of dollars in jewelry from homes and other buildings in the Kingston area and the University of Rhode Island over the past several years.

Questions halt House’s vote on expungment bill
Some lawmakers argue that the bill, which aims to allow certain criminal records to be erased, is poorly framed.

Boyfriend takes the 5th in murder case
Gilbert Delestre refuses to testify in the murder trial of Katherine Bunnell. Both are accused of killing 3-year-old Thomas “T.J.” Wright.

State Supreme Court is in session, on the road, at Hendricken
WARWICK

05/13/2008

Foam companies offer $30 million in Station case
PROVIDENCE — Several polyurethane foam manufacturers have tentatively agreed to pay $30 million to the victims of The Station nightclub fire in settlement of federal civil suits pending against them in connection with the 2003 West Warwick blaze that killed 100 people and injured more than 200 others.

Cousin tried to save toddler
Jose A. Santiago testifies that Thomas J. “T.J.” Wright’s foster mother snatched the child from his arms when he tried to call 911.

Court rules R.I. needn’t hear cases on asbestos
The Supreme Court says the state has no ties with the defendant businesses named in 39 lawsuits filed by Canadian residents.

House mulls change in sentencing rules
Some say relaxing mandatory minimum sentences for drug charges is fair and budget-wise; others say judges already have discretion.

South Kingstown man convicted of shooting his dog
Edgar Goulet is ordered held without bail until his July 14 sentencing.

05/11/2008

‘Gap kid’ cases to go before Supreme Court
Arguments will be heard Tuesday at Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick and will be open to the public.

Breathalyzer challenge
The Supreme Court will decide whether stiffer penalties should apply to Breathalyzer refusals.

As courts turn to e-filing, couriers get less work
PROVIDENCE

05/10/2008

Medical examiner testifies to toddler’s injuries
Dr. Peter Andrew Gillespie tells the jury that “the totality” of injuries suffered by Thomas “T.J.” Wright led to his death.

Fourth man in beating convicted
William R. Keenan, of Warwick, was one of four people accused of a attacking a restaurant owner with baseball bats.

Derderians cleared to talk to victims’ lawyers
A federal stay is lifted that prohibited the brothers from being questioned.

05/09/2008

Foster mother cries during murder trial
Katherine Bunnell cries when hearing the answers she gave to the police who were investigating the death of her foster son.

Judge puts off same-sex divorce ruling
Superior Court Judge Patricia A. Hurst asks both sides for more information before deciding if she’ll seek an enabling decision from the state Supreme Court.

Document shows Narragansetts still pressing for casino
An invitation to bid is included in court papers for a lawsuit filed by one of the tribe’s previous casino partners, Capital Gaming International Inc.

05/08/2008

Baby sitter testifies to beating inflicted on 3-year-old boy
Kayla Roderick details how Thomas Wright was dragged from his bed, then hit and slapped by Katherine Bunnell before being thrown across the room by Bunnell’s boyfriend.

05/07/2008

Opening arguments begin in trial of aunt accused of killing 3-year-old
Katherine S. Bunnell, along with her former boyfriend, are accused of fatally beating foster child Thomas “T.J.” Wright.

Boyer will keep West Warwick seat on Water Authority
WEST WARWICK — Robert B. Boyer will remain the town’s representative on the board of the Kent County Water Authority, despite his recent conviction on three misdemeanor ethics violations, the Town Council decided last night.

05/06/2008

Arrest is made in home thefts
NORTH KINGSTOWN — Police investigating a string of vehicle thefts and thefts from homes in the Quidnesset area early last Tuesday morning thought Donald C. Smith looked suspicious. Smith was seemingly intoxicated as he carried golf clubs in the rain at about 5 a.m.

Jury selection starts in case of ex-CVS executives charged with bribery
John R. Kramer and Carlos Ortiz face charges in connection with hiring former North Providence Sen. John A. Celona as a $1,000-a-month consultant.

O’Connor hears R.I. land dispute
The former U.S. Supreme Court justice is sitting on the federal appeals court in Boston for two days this week.

Woman facing drunk-driving charges fails drug test
Heidi Harrall, indicted in a crash that severely injured a teenager last year, tests positive for amphetamines, but her lawyer says they were prescribed.

Pharmacy targeted in raid
PROVIDENCE — Federal and state investigators Monday night raided a drug store on Cranston Street as part of an investigation into the illegal distribution of drugs, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office.

05/04/2008

Citizens’ Law School begins May 14
The Rhode Island Association for Justice — formerly the Rhode Island Trial Lawyers Association — is offering a new session of its popular Citizens’ Law School starting May 14.

05/03/2008

Settlement reached in 9-year-old Plum Beach land dispute
NORTH KINGSTOWN –– Nine years ago, Michael Kent rocked the upscale Plum Beach area of Saunderstown, chopping down all the trees on his land next to busy Boston Neck Road and painting the stumps in garish, fluorescent colors.

Mother charged with neglect
Police say Stacy Brown was drinking beer while riding in a truck with six unrestrained children, including two in the truck’s bed.

05/02/2008

Late URI professor’s will challenged
SOUTH KINGSTOWN –– Lawyers representing the estate of beloved University of Rhode Island Prof. Beatrice S. Demers, who died last year at age 100 after spending her final years suffering from dementia and self-neglect, are ready to distribute to charity the millions of dollars she accumulated investing in the stock market.

Woman admits to forging prescriptions
PROVIDENCE — A Providence woman has admitted to a drug distribution and health-care fraud operation in which she sold forged oxycodone and hydrocodone prescriptions or traded them for crack cocaine.

Deported drug dealer sentenced
Domingo Enrique Lorenzo-Ferrera, who was deported in 1995, was arrested at a Providence apartment last August.

05/01/2008

Same-sex divorce case takes a new turn
One of the parties wants the Supreme Court to consider whether Superior Court can dissolve her marriage.

URI student arrested in drug case sues town
Charges against Owen Hnat-Dembitz of conspiring to sell marijuana in 2006 were dropped last June.

Pawtucket man gets three years for holdup
PROVIDENCE — A Pawtucket man was sentenced yesterday to more than three years in prison for robbing Pawtucket Credit Union in March 2007.

04/29/2008

O’Connor back on the bench
The retired Supreme Court justice will take the bench next week at the U.S. Appeals Court in Boston.

04/28/2008

House panel OKs bill that would erase many criminal records in R.I.
Rhode Island already allows expungement in cases of nonviolent first offenders who complete their sentences, but new proposals would allow far broader rewriting of criminal histories.

Making Restitution
Anthony Ward-Smith is a case manager for Justice Assistance, an agency under contract with the Rhode Island courts that serves as a liaison between the courts, the victims of crimes and those who commit them.

DEM Tiverton case at standstill
A federal judge has urged the DEM to force the toxic waste cleanup, but to date nothing has happened.

04/25/2008

Lawyers seek to question Derderians
In November 2004, the court issued a stay that barred fire victims’ lawyers from questioning the owners of The Station nightclub.

04/22/2008

Skipped debt hearings put 2,500 in ACI
A group says the system that has led to nearly 2,500 people being sent to prison for failing to appear at hearings dealing with court costs and fines needs to be changed.

04/21/2008

Court to Webcast paint hearings
The Rhode Island Supreme Court, in an unprecedented move, plans to Webcast hearings scheduled for May 15 on an appeal of the state’s high profile lead-paint case against three major corporations.

04/19/2008

State and Narragansett tribe estimate cost of smoke-shop trial
The Narragansetts say the smoke-shop case cost them about $300,000 to defend. The state estimates it cost about $17,000 to prosecute.