Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced that on Friday, a Providence County Superior Court jury found Jason Cardoso (age 34) of North Providence guilty of first degree robbery. The jury returned the verdict after less than one hour after a four-day trial presided over by Superior Court Justice Luis Matos.
During the course of the trial, the State proved that on June 26, 2013, at approximately 6:00 p.m. Cardoso robbed the cashier of a CVS store located at 1919 Mineral Spring Avenue in North Providence using a knife, stealing $135.
The North Providence Police released the surveillance video to the local media, seeking the public's help in identifying the individual shown committing the robbery. Shortly thereafter, the police received an anonymous tip which led to the development of the defendant as the suspect. Cardoso was found to have indentifying tattoos on his neck and wrist that matched those seen in the surveillance footage, and police also recovered a pair of sneakers from his residence that matched those worn by the suspect in the video.
The defendant is being held without bail. In an unrelated case in Massachusetts, Cardoso is on probation for armed robbery and faces up to life for violating that probation. North Providence Detective Scott Godin led the investigation. Special Assistant Attorney General Terence Coyne prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of Attorney General.