FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WARWICK, RI – Another senseless tragedy befell Rhode Island on the first day of 2022 with the death of a 17 year-old East Greenwich student at the hands of career criminal Aramis Segura. Olivia Passaretti’s young life was tragically cut short because of an individual, who, based on criminal history alone, should not have been on the streets, much less operating a motor vehicle. I offer my sincerest condolences to Olivia’s family, friends and the entire community during this difficult time.
In 2019, Attorney General Peter Neronha’s office granted Mr. Segura probation on charges of possessing a stolen motor vehicle and home invasion, despite having served years in prison for multiple home invasions, a sexual assault, and obstruction of the judicial system. Segura has also been found to be in violation of several prior probationary sentences reaching as far back as 2010. The question begs: Why would the Attorney General offer probationary relief to a violent repeat offender with a history of probation violations
Incredibly, Segura chose to announce to the world “no ima drink and see what happens I’m a f**k yo I have a benz let’s see if I can f**k it up” on social media, just hours before taking the life of Miss Passaretti. Where was the oversight? Who was responsible for the supervision of his probation? Why wasn’t the Attorney General aware of the ongoing danger this individual continued to represent to the public?
Under the Neronha Administration, crime rates are skyrocketing. Equally problematic, the inexplicable failure of the Attorney General and the Criminal Justice System to responsibly, ethically manage the incarceration of a person like Segura, continues to erode public trust in our legal institutions. While I certainly hope Olivia’s family and friends will find some measure of justice with the upcoming criminal proceedings, no criminal conviction will make up for the injustice of the undeserved leniency given to a person so lacking in basic human decency. Segura’s six prior felonies at the time of his 2019 conviction should have disqualified him from any further “slaps on the wrist”.
Rhode Island has a wealth of criminal defense attorneys poised to protect the rights of the criminally accused. We do not need our chief prosecutor to provide further “Safe haven” to those who repeatedly flout our laws. It’s time to restore the rule of law in Rhode Island.
Life is fragile. The decisions of our elected officials can have unexpected, sometimes tragic consequences