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Posted 9/15/21

Man sentenced to prison for 3-month-old son's murder A Cranston man has been sentenced to nearly three decades in prison for the 2016 killing of his 3-month-old son, according to the office of Attorney General Peter Neronha. Elias Romero, 29, will serve

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POLICE NEWS

POLICE & COURTS DIGEST

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Man sentenced to prison for 3-month-old son’s murder

A Cranston man has been sentenced to nearly three decades in prison for the 2016 killing of his 3-month-old son, according to the office of Attorney General Peter Neronha.

Elias Romero, 29, will serve 27 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions under the sentence handed down last week by Superior Court Justice Maureen B. Keough, prosecutors announced in a statement. The balance of his 40-year prison term will be suspended with probation as part of a plea agreement.

Prior to the sentencing, Romero pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree murder in the death of his son, Giovanni.

Prosecutors say following an emergency call on July 7, 2016, police and fire personnel found Giovanni unresponsive on a mattress in a second-floor bedroom of a Station Street home. The child was rushed to Hasbro Children’s Hospital with “substantial injuries,” and he was intubated due to his inability to breath on his own.

“Subsequently, a CT scan revealed significant trauma to Giovanni’s head, including bleeding throughout his brain,” a statement from prosecutors reads. “The injuries were consistent with Abusive Head Trauma, otherwise known as Shaken Baby Syndrome. Two days later, on July 9, 2016, Giovanni succumbed to his injuries.”

According to prosecutors, Romero “admitted that he had shaken Giovanni that day after becoming frustrated with the infant’s crying.”

Assistant Attorney General Shannon Signore prosecuted the case, while Cranston Detective Sgt. Lori Sweeney and Detective Michael Iacone led the investigation.

“In cases involving the loss of a child, prosecutors and law enforcement are keenly aware of the great responsibility they have to seek justice on behalf of an inherently vulnerable victim,” Neronha said in the statement. “I hope that the lengthy sentence handed down by the court today represents some small measure of justice for Giovanni’s family and loved ones. I am grateful for the dedicated work of the Cranston Police Department throughout this case.”

Police: ‘Narcotics nuisance’ shut down, two charged

Two people are facing drug charges after a search of a home police have described as a “narcotics nuisance.”

MICHAUD
MICHAUD

Christopher A. Michaud, 30, 100 North View Ave., Cranston, faces two counts of manufacturing/possession/delivery of a controlled substance, according to a statement from Cranston Police.

QUARANTA
QUARANTA

Alynzea M. Quaranta, 34, of the same address, is charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance, 10 grams or less.

Both were arraigned Sept. 7 in Third Division District Court. Michaud, who is on probation in connection with another drug case, was ordered held pending a status conference scheduled for this week. Quaranta, meanwhile, was released on $2,500 personal recognizance.

According to police, the charges are the result of “several weeks” of surveillance of the North View Avenue home conducted by the department’s Special Investigations Unit. The probe was launched in response to “multiple complaints … that visitors were frequenting the location at all hours of the day and night for brief amounts of time consistent with the sale of narcotics,” the statement reads.

It continues: “Other complaints included individuals playing loud music from vehicles parked outside the house allegedly smoking Marijuana and consuming alcohol in the open. Members of the Patrol Division had been dispatched to the address on fourteen occasions over the previous thirty days requiring considerable resources to address these complaints. Detectives verified the alleged activity through surveillance and stopping individuals leaving the residence who were in possession of illegal narcotics believed to have been purchased at the house.”

Police obtained a search warrant for the home, which was executed on the morning of Sept. 7 with assistance from the East Providence Police SWAT Team, DEA and ATF, according to the statement.

The search resulted in the seizure of 78 grams of psychedelic mushrooms; MDMA, or Ecstasy, “in powder and pill form”; 30.6 grams of marijuana; and “equipment commonly used in illegal narcotics distribution,” police say.

In addition to Michaud and Quaranta, police found six other people in the home, including two children ages 8 and 14. The Department of Children, Youth, and Families responded to the scene as a result.

“All residents in Cranston deserve to live in a safe and peaceful community,” Police Chief Col. Michael Winquist said in the release. “We will use whatever resources necessary to address quality of life complaints and criminal activity reported to our police department. These arrests should end the alleged illegal activity that disrupted this ordinarily quiet neighborhood and consumed significant police resources.”

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