Newport man to serve 30 years in state prison for manslaughter

Newport man to serve 30 years in state prison for manslaughter

Published on Friday, November 15, 2024

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that a Newport man has been sentenced in Newport County Superior Court to serve 30 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) for the stabbing death of 22-year-old Maximus Julian at a house party in 2021.

On November 13, 2024, at a hearing before Superior Court Justice Stephen P. Nugent, the defendant, Tyrese Poulsen (22) pleaded nolo contendere to one count of manslaughter. At the hearing, the Court sentenced the defendant to 30 years to serve at the ACI, the maximum sentence for manslaughter in Rhode Island.

"While justice has been served here, to the extent that is possible, the victim and his family received the worst sentence of all," said Attorney General Neronha. "This defendant chose to murder Maximus Julian over a petty fistfight, robbing this young man of a full life, for no discernable reason. I hope that this outcome demonstrates to those with violent inclinations that this type of flagrant disregard for human life will earn you decades in prison. I am grateful for the exceptional work of the Newport Police Department and the prosecutors in my Office, in this case and in so many others."

Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that on May 29, 2021, the defendant stabbed and killed Maximus Julian at a house party at a Thames Street Airbnb in Newport.

During the early hours of May 30, 2021, Newport Police responded to a report of a stabbing incident in the area of Thames Street and Lee Avenue. Upon arrival, officers discovered a male victim suffering from a stab wound to his neck and torso. Investigators quickly determined that the victim attended a party at an Airbnb rental property on Thames Street and located a steak knife with apparent blood on it at the scene.

According to several witnesses at the party, an attendee attempted to escort the victim from the party, at which point a physical altercation broke out between several individuals, including the defendant and the victim. Witnesses told police that after the initial fight began, the defendant ran to the kitchen to retrieve a knife before stabbing the victim in the neck and torso, and then fleeing the scene.

On June 1, 2021, the victim succumbed to his injuries at Rhode Island Hospital and on June 3, 2021, the defendant turned himself in to Newport Police.

The Rhode Island Department of Health reported that the blood found on the knife contained the victim's DNA.

"This kind of senseless violence will never be tolerated in our community," said Newport Police Chief Ryan Duffy. "My heart goes out to the victim's family and friends, and hope that this sentence helps them find some semblance of peace. Finally, I want to thank the men and women of the Newport Police Department and the Attorney General's Office for helping to bring this defendant to justice."

Assistant Attorney General Eric Batista and Special Assistant Attorney General Allison Stackpole of the Office of the Attorney General and Detective Joseph Lavallee of the Newport Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of the case.

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