Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced that a Newport County Superior Court Jury found Christopher James (age 49), with a last known address of 207 Rhodes Street, Providence, guilty of first degree murder for the February 27, 2013 murder of his ex-wife, 46-year-old Terry Chiodo.
The jury returned the verdict after one day of deliberations following a seven-day trial presided over by Superior Court Justice Sarah Taft-Carter.
During the trial, the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that James stabbed Terry Chiodo just after she boarded a RIPTA bus at about 6:15 a.m. on February 27, 2013 on Bristol Ferry Road in Portsmouth.
Ms. Chiodo was on her way to work that morning at the Subway sandwich shop in Newport. The defendant, who resided in Providence, boarded the #60 RIPTA bus at Kennedy Plaza before the fatal encounter and traveled to Portsmouth. The stabbing occurred shortly after Ms. Chiodo had boarded the bus at her usual stop outside the Portsmouth Senior Center.
During the trial, witnesses testified that they remember seeing Ms. Chiodo and the defendant whispering, possibly arguing, before the fatal stabbing. In addition, witnesses saw the defendant stand and pull the yellow cord that is used to indicate a desire to stop the bus. As the bus came to a stop, witnesses saw the defendant hit Ms. Chiodo, possibly punching her. A few moments later, the victim screamed, "He just stabbed me."
Passengers Douglas Gomes and Andre Gatlin, both whom testified during the trial, acted quickly and restrained the defendant. The bus driver, Elizabeth Russell, called E-911 and RIPTA dispatch to inform them of the situation.
Passenger Rebecca Benjamin tended to Ms. Chiodo until emergency personnel arrived. She was transported to Rhode Island Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.
Data extraction of James' cell phone revealed a text message the defendant sent to the victim the night before the murder in which he texted, "Consider yourself dead you will never see your grandkids grow."
While the defense argued that James suffered from multiple psychiatric conditions, the State's expert witness, Dr. Martin Kelly, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Forensic Psychiatrist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, testified that James did not suffer from any mental condition that diminished his capacity to form the intent to murder.
James, who has been held without bail since his arrest, was remanded back to the ACI pending sentencing, which is scheduled for April 20, 2016.
Portsmouth Police Detective Michael Arnold investigated the case and Assistant Attorney General John E. Corrigan prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of Attorney General.