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
Thank you for speaking truth and not politics. Thank you for pointing out the failures of this AG and our criminal justice system that he complacently supports for all it’s flaws, while chosing ideology over keeping our communities safe. This was a preventable event. In my opinion the beggining of what will be a cascading waterfall of further criminal activity has begun.