Please note: An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. The U.S. Constitution guarantees that a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Jared Tefft, DOB: 6/6/83
110 Woody Hill Road
Hopkinton, RI
W1-2011-0302A
The Statewide Grand Jury yesterday reported out an indictment charging Jared Tefft with one count of felony murder, two counts of first degree arson, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of simple assault.
It is alleged that on or about January 26, 2011, Tefft and Peter Newman got into an altercation in which Tefft pinned Newman down and put a knife to his throat and later struck Newman in the head, rendering him unconscious.
It is further alleged that Tefft, thinking Newman was dead, started small fires in the home in an attempt to dispose of the body. He later returned to the home to find the fires extinguished, and then doused the body with gasoline and ignited a second fire.
The Rhode Island State Police conducted the investigation. Tefft is scheduled to be arraigned in Washington County Superior Court on October 17, 2011. He has been held without bail on the charge since his arrest and also is serving as a violator of a prior probation.
The Washington County Grand Jury returned a no true bill against Matthew Tefft, who was originally charged with first degree arson.