Rhode Island DUI: Providence man sentenced to 25 years, with 15 years to serve

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May 16, 2008

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Providence man sentenced to 25 years, with 15 years to serve

In Providence County Superior Court today, Associate Justice Susan E. McGuirl sentenced Joseph Santos, 37, 133 Chester Avenue, Providence, to 25 years, with 15 to serve at the ACI and 10 suspended with probation for a July 30, 2005, drunk-driving incident on Route 295 northbound in Smithfield that resulted in the death of his girlfriend, Susan Renaud, 37.

Judge McGuirl sentenced Santos to 13 years, 11 to serve with two suspended with probation on one count of driving under the influence of alcohol, death resulting, and two years to serve at the ACI with eight years suspended and probation on one count of driving to endanger, death resulting. The sentences will run consecutively. The Court ordered a five-year loss of license for driving under the influence of alcohol, death resulting. The Court also ordered that the defendant undergo alcohol counseling, pay a $5,000 fine, and perform 200 hours of community service.

Following a six-day trial presided over by Judge McGuirl, the jury deliberated for only two hours before returning a guilty verdict against the defendant on June 11, 2007. The Court ordered that Santos be held without bail pending his sentencing.

Assistant Attorney General Stephen Regine presented the following evidence at trial:

At approximately 10:20 PM on Saturday, July 30, 2005, an 18-year-old woman passenger in a car being driven by her boyfriend east on Route 44 in Smithfield observed a motorcycle directly in front of them swerve dramatically as it came to a stop at a traffic light. The witness observed that a passenger on the motorcycle was swaying, and appeared to be unstable. Suspecting that the motorcycle driver and passenger were intoxicated, the woman in the car — as it pulled alongside the motorcycle — called out to the driver, offering to give the driver and the passenger a ride home. The motorcycle’s driver, Santos, made an obscene gesture and remark, and sped off.

The occupants of the car followed the motorcycle along Route 44, and onto Route 295 northbound. The witness in the car observed the motorcycle’s driver almost fall off the bike on the entrance ramp to the highway before he took off at speeds in excess of 100 MPH on Route 295 northbound. The car tried to keep up with the motorcycle but slowed down once the car reached a speed of 95 MPH. When the car came upon the motorcycle, it was tipped over in the high-speed lane.

A second witness, who was driving north on Route 295 the night of the crash, testified that the motorcycle being driven by Santos was going so fast when it passed him that his full-size Chevy pickup truck shook. This witness saw Santos’s motorcycle slam into the back of an SUV, and saw Santos and his passenger fly through the air. This witness immediately called ‘911’, at 10:32 PM.

While being treated by rescue personnel at the scene, Santos told Rhode Island State Police who responded to the crime from the Chepachet Barracks that he had been drinking. Subsequent release of the defendant’s medical records determined that he had a blood alcohol content of .163 at 11:38 PM on July 30th — approximately one hour after the crash.

Susan Renaud died as a result of a skull fracture and brain injuries due to blunt force trauma six days later, on August 5th, 2005. Renaud’s brother, sister in law, and close friend addressed the Court during the sentencing today.

“This defendant’s callousness, selfishness, and utter disregard for human life — traits that the jury readily observed in June —are beyond the pale, and they completely warrant the proportionally strong response the court provided in today’s sentencing,” Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch said.

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