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August 21, 2006

Providence man killed, another's throat cut, in morning attack

PROVIDENCE -- A 62-year-old man was found slain in the basement apartment of a cottage in the Hartford neighborhood this morning, the police said. The elderly owner of the cottage, whose throat had been slashed, was admitted to Rhode Island Hospital.

A suspect in the alleged murder and the attack on the cottage owner, who was spotted driving a stolen car on Route 95, was arrested a short while later.

Maj. Stephen Campbell, commander of the police Investigative Division, said the medical examiner will do an autopsy to determine the exact cause, manner and time of the victim's death, but that the victim bore obvious injuries. Campbell said the police would charge the suspect with murder. He withheld the name of the victim.

Campbell said police officers were dispatched to 56 Bowlett St. at 10:45 a.m. after the cottage owner, identified as 74-year-old Domenic A. Baldini, an employee of the Providence Water Supply Board, telephoned a relative for help once he removed duct tape and wires the attacker used to bind and gag him.

-- Journal Staff Writer Gregory Smith

Baldini had allowed the 62-year-old victim, who was an acquaintance, to live for a while in his basement apartment. Yesterday morning Baldini went downstairs to do his laundry and said he was jumped from behind by a man who cut his throat with a knife and demanded his money and credit cards, the police said.

The attacker gagged Baldini with duct tape and bound his hands and ankles with duct tape and wire. After lying on the floor, bleeding, for several hours, Baldini managed to work himself free of his bonds, and he went into the other room in the basement and discovered his lodger dead on a bed or small sofa, the police said.

-- Journal Staff Writer Gregory Smith

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:12 PM | Comment

Thursday's Chafee/Laffey debate moved to Saturday

Republican Senate candidates Lincoln D. Chafee and Stephen P. Laffey will hold their fourth and final debate this Saturday at 7 p.m. on live television.

The campaigns originally planned the fourth debate for Thursday night, just a day after Wednesday's debate, which is scheduled be broadcast at 8 p.m. live on WPRI Channel 12, and C-SPAN, with streaming video on projo.com and wpri.com.

Saturday's debate will be broadcast live on WJAR Channel 10.

-- With reports from Journal Staff Writer Mark Arsenault

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:50 PM | Comment

Yankees sweep in Fenway

It's over. Red Sox fans can exhale, because the worst four days of baseball in recent memory have ended.

The Yankees completed a five-game sweep with a 2-1 victory at Fenway Park today over the punchless Red Sox.

David Wells pitched 7.1 strong innings today, but the offense brought nothing to the table, going hitless with runners in scoring position. If not for Wily Mo Pena's two-out, eighth-inning home run, they would have been shutout by New York's combination of Cory Lidle, Mike Myers, Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth.

Read more on the Sox Blog.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:22 PM | Comment

Woonsocket man's death follows violent struggle, taser

WOONSOCKET – Police used a taser "to subdue" a 41-year-old man in police custody who died yesterday, according to state investigators.

The state police, which are investigating the incident, released a statement this afternoon describing the events that preceded Timothy Picard's death.

Picard's wife called the police at 3:17 a.m. yesterday because of a fight between her husband and 19-year-old son at their 44 Hillside Ave. home, according to O'Donnell.

A violent struggle ensued between two police officers inside and outside the house during which the police used pepper spray on Picard.

The chemical spray was "not effective," according to the state police. Two additional Woonsocket officers responded to the scene, and Picard was eventually handcuffed and taken into custody.

At the Woonsocket police station, the state police said Picard again became "uncooperative and combative" with officers. It was during this second struggle, an officer used a taser on Picard.

"Shortly thereafter, Picard became unresponsive, and Woonsocket Rescue was called to the scene," reads the statement.

Picard was transported by rescue to Landmark Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy today should provide details about how Picard died early yesterday morning while in the custody of Woonsocket Police, State Police Maj. Steven G. O’Donnell said.

-- projo.com staff writers Kate Bramson and Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:07 PM | Comment

Man shot in Central Falls rampage is brain dead

A 23-year-old Providence man who was shot early Friday morning in Central Falls, along with two others, is officially brain dead, according to Rhode Island Hospital spokeswoman Jane Bruno. The other victims remain in critical condition.

The alleged shooter, Adelino Duarte, was arraigned this morning on related charges in Sixth District Court, Providence, and ordered held pending a bail hearing.

Octavio J. Calcagno was shot in the head Friday, as were two women also in the residence, in what Central Falls Police Chief Joseph Moran III said were among the worst shootings he has seen in 23 years of police work.

Calcagno was pronounced brain dead at 10:16 p.m. Saturday, according to Bruno. “For reasons we can’t discuss, he is receiving organ support at this time,” she said.

The police said that if and when Calcagno's life support is turned off, the charges against Duarte would be upgraded.

The other two victims were in critical condition this morning, hospital spokeswoman Andrea Barbosa said. They are Kristal L. Duarte, 23, and her mother, Elizabeth Orellana, 37, who both live at 712 High St., where the shootings took place.

The police early Friday morning apprehended the alleged shooter, Adelino Duarte, 38 (no relation to Kristal Duarte). He was lying face down in a bedroom, with his hand extended under a mattress, where the police found a .25-caliber handgun.

On Friday, Adelino Duarte was charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon inside a dwelling house, one count of domestic assault with a dangerous weapon inside a dwelling house, three counts of assault with the intent to commit murder, discharge of a firearm while committing a crime of violence, carrying a pistol without a license, and firing a pistol in a compact area.

Until about a month ago, Adelino Duarte and Orellana were dating, Moran said Friday.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:03 PM | Comment

Cranston mayoral candidate outspends opponent

CRANSTON -- New campaign finance reports show Cranston mayoral candidate Michael T. Napolitano greatly outspending his Democratic primary opponent, City Council member Cynthia M. Fogarty.

From July 1 to Aug. 15, Napolitano spent $51,442 on his campaign, more than four times Fogarty's spending, $11,640.

-- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan

Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:16 PM | Comment

Photo / Manatee visits Greenwich Bay

Ken Castellone of East Greenwich shot this photo of a manatee at the Greenwich Bay Marina Sunday night. Manatee are native to Florida. Sightings north of the Carolinas are very rare. This animal is possibly the same one seen heading north along Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey in July. It was later seen off of Manhattan in the Hudson River in early August.

Posted by Peter Phipps at 3:00 PM | Comment

Update: Bridge rising in Quonset

NORTH KINGSTOWN – Mammoet, the Dutch company that specializes in moving huge objects, today began hoisting the arch for the new Providence River Bridge at Pier 1 at Quonset Point.

By about 11:30 a.m., the arch was jacked up 30 feet in the air. Construction crews used winches on towers at each end of the bridge to hoist the 400-foot bridge.

Later today, crews will lower the bridge onto self-propelled transporters.

The wheeled transporters will then carry the bridge across the pier and onto two barges that will move it to Providence.

The state Department of Transportation hopes the bridge can be floated to Providence on the barges on Friday and set into place on Saturday.

-- Journal staff writer Bruce Landis

Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:07 PM | Comment

Gas prices fall again

The AAA reports that the average price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline fell another 4 cents a gallon last week.

The average price in today's survey is $3.04 a gallon, down six cents a gallon from three weeks ago. A year ago, the average price was $2.64 a gallon.

Today survey found the price for self-service unleaded gasoline varied from $2.97 to $3.11 a gallon.

Posted by Peter Phipps at 10:41 AM | Comment

Update: Police ID Woonsocket man who died in custody

WOONSOCKET – The police have identified the 41-year-old man who died in police custody yesterday as Timothy Picard.

That’s all the information that Deputy Woonsocket Police Chief Richard Dubois would release this morning. He would not provide the address where the man was taken into custody.

An autopsy today should provide details about how Picard died early yesterday morning while in the custody of Woonsocket Police, State Police Maj. Steven G. O’Donnell said.

The city police were called to a home on Hillside Avenue when Picard’s wife called 911 at 3:17 a.m. yesterday because of a fight between her husband and 19-year-old son, according to O'Donnell.

At this time, O’Donnell said he does not know “what transpired at the station.” He said the state police will likely hold a news conference this afternoon. They have taken the lead in the investigation.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

When the police arrived at the home yesterday morning, the 19-year-old was gone, O’Donnell said. Picard was “acting in a confrontational manner with the police,” O’Donnell said.

The police arrested Picard for disorderly conduct and took him to the station. According to the Woonsocket Police, the man “continued to fight and be belligerent," O’Donnell said.

The police called 911 and Picard was brought to Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket, where he was pronounced dead at 4:40 a.m., O’Donnell said.

The Woonsocket Police Department called the state police at 5:30 a.m., on the advice of the attorney general’s office, O’Donnell said.

Local departments typically call the attorney general’s office when they have an “in-custody death,” O’Donnell said.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:17 AM | Comment

Mostly sunny week expected, with high pollen counts

PROVIDENCE – We’ve got a nice end-of-summer-vacation week on the horizon.

Expect a high of 81 today, with a low around 59 tonight.

We’ll have highs this week in the upper 70s to mid-80s and lows in the high 50s to low 60s at nights.

If you haven’t done your school shopping yet, don’t plan to go Tuesday or Thursday, predicted as the sunniest days of the week. If you can hold off until Friday, there’s a chance of showers and you might want to be inside on that day.

Otherwise, hit the beaches this week if you can.

And don’t forget your allergy medicine. The pollen count is high today and is expected to remain so through Wednesday.

Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:12 AM | Comment