NEW: Two Maximum Security Inmates Found Guilty of 2017 ACI Stabbing
GoLocalProv News Team
NEW: Two Maximum Security Inmates Found Guilty of 2017 ACI Stabbing
Justin Santerre, 38, of Fall River was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of disorderly conduct.
Jeffrey Wilson, 63, of Providence was convicted on one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, one count of weapons other than firearms while incarcerated, one count of conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count of disorderly conduct.
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Santerre and Wilson are scheduled to be sentenced on March 27, 2020.
The Investigation
According to the Attorney General’s office, during the trial, the State proved beyond reasonable doubt that on July 2, 2017, at approximately 9:58 a.m., inmate Salvatore Romano was brutally attacked in the Maximum Security recreation yard at the ACI by fellow inmates Santerre, Wilson, and Brian Audette (who previously plead to his crimes associated with this attack and was sentenced in 2018).
The defendants used a 10-inch metal rod with a sharpened end, as well as razor blades to commit the assault. They also punched the victim several times.
Romano was left with several significant lacerations to the head, face, back, and chest that required staples and sutures. He was treated at Rhode Island Hospital.
According to the Attorney General's office, through witness statements, video surveillance, and photographs, investigators learned that on the morning of July 2, 2017, at approximately 7:45 a.m., Romano was released from segregation at the Maximum Security facility and allowed to return to his cell.
He and another inmate, Richard Dupont, had both been placed in segregation due to a fight in previous weeks. Santerre, Wilson, and Audette were all friends with Dupont.
According to the Attorney General’s office, after being released from segregation, Romano went out to the recreation yard around 9:00 a.m., which is where the attack occurred.
Video surveillance of the incident shows that the physical altercation lasted for approximately 20 seconds before correctional officers were able to arrive at the location and disperse the attackers.
In the video surveillance, Santerre is shown with his back to the camera, kneeling over the fallen Romano and brutally punching him in the face while Romano is on the ground. Wilson is shown using a long object to stab/poke Romano three times right before correctional officers arrive at the scene.
Three weapons were recovered: one 10-inch metal rod sharpened at the end, one razor blade with a deodorant wrapper wrapped around it to serve as a handle; and one plain razor blade.