Florida Man Sentenced In 2017 East Providence Fatal Hit-And-Run

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI — A former Rhode Island resident was sentenced to three years in prison and two years of home confinement for a 2017 fatal hit-and-run in East Providence. Paul Newman, 55, who moved to Jacksonville, Fla., pleaded no contest to the charge of failure to stop for an accident that resulted in death.

Maria Raposo, 46, was killed when she was struck as she walked across Newport Avenue near the East Providence and Pawtucket border. While the Attorney General's Office allowed the pedestrian strike was an accident, it prosecuted Newman for fleeing the scene in his rental car. Newman attempted to return the car in Warwick shortly after the accident, then turned himself in to East Providence police about 90 minutes later.

"Leaving the scene of an accident under any circumstances is a serious crime, especially when, as was the case here, a person has been severely injured or killed," said Attorney General Peter F. Neronha. "Not only is it an effort to escape responsibility, but it may also delay an emergency response that might limit the extent of injury. The prison sentence imposed here was entirely appropriate."

State law requires the driver of a vehicle knowingly involved in an accident with a pedestrian to remain at the scene of the accident. Police were on the lookout for the rental car after a driver who saw the strike followed Newman and reported his license plate to East Providence police.

Newman was sentenced to three years at the Adult Correctional Institute, two years of home confinement and five years of probation.

Lieutenant Raymond Blinn and Sergeant Mark Bourget of the East Providence Police Department led the investigation into the case. Assistant Attorney General Jay Sullivan prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General.