Esteban Carpio (born July 30, 1978) is an American murderer serving a life sentence without parole for killing a detective during an interrogation at a

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, police station in 2005.

Crime

On April 17, 2005, Carpio was being questioned by Providence Police Detective Sgt. James L. Allen and another detective at Providence Police headquarters for the stabbing of an 85-year-old woman, Madeline Gatta. When the second detective left the third-floor interview room to retrieve water for Carpio, a struggle ensued and Allen was shot twice, killing him. Carpio then jumped from the third-floor window.

Trial, conviction and appeals

At his arraignment hearing, Carpio was forced to wear a mask due to injuries sustained the previous day. His eyes, cheeks, forehead, and cranial region were red, bruised and swollen. Carpio's family broke down in court accusing the police of brutality. Providence Police Chief Dean M. Esserman said that Carpio's injuries were sustained as a result of his jump from the third-floor interview room.

Rhode Island State Police The Rhode Island State Police (RISP) is an agency of the US state of Rhode Island responsible for statewide law enforcement and regulation, especially in areas underserved by local police agencies and on the state's limited-access highways. Its he ...

detective Christopher Zarrella testified in court that he had punched Carpio in the face three times while making his arrest, breaking bones in his face. An

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

investigation concluded that police did not use

excessive force Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...

. On June 27, 2006, a jury found Carpio guilty of the murder of Detective Allen and the stabbing of Madeline Gatta. The jury rejected Carpio's

insanity defense The insanity defense, also known as the mental disorder defense, is an affirmative Defense (legal), defense by excuse in a criminal case, arguing that the defendant is not responsible for their actions due to a mental illness, psychiatric disease ...

; he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. The state Supreme Court in 2012 denied Carpio’s appeal, saying, in part, that his lawyers had strategically opted not to pursue a new trial. In 2017, he appealed to a federal judge and argued that the jury wrongfully convicted him, though he lacked criminal responsibility at the time because he was mentally ill and unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions. The appeal was dismissed.

References

External links

Video footageR.I. Dept. of Corrections Inmate Search
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpio, Esteban 1978 births Living people American people convicted of murdering police officers American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Criminals from Rhode Island People convicted of murder by Rhode Island Criminals from Boston Police brutality in the United States Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Rhode Island