Esteban Carpio

Esteban Carpio (born July 30, 1978) is an American murderer serving a life sentence without parole for killing a detective during an interrogation at a Providence, Rhode Island, police station in 2005.

Esteban Carpio
Born	(1978-07-30) July 30, 1978 (age 47) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

Crime

On April 17, 2005, Carpio was being questioned by Providence Police Detective Sgt. James L. Allen and another detective at Providence Police headquarters for the stabbing of an 85-year-old woman, Madeline Gatta.^[1] When the second detective left the third-floor interview room to retrieve water for Carpio, a struggle ensued and Allen was shot twice, killing him. Carpio then jumped from the third-floor window.^[1]

Trial, conviction and appeals

At his arraignment hearing, Carpio was forced to wear a mask due to injuries sustained the previous day. His eyes, cheeks, forehead, and cranial region were red, bruised and swollen. Carpio's family broke down in court accusing the police of brutality. Providence Police Chief Dean M. Esserman said that Carpio's injuries were sustained as a result of his jump from the third-floor interview room.^[1] Rhode Island State Police detective Christopher Zarrella testified in court that he had punched Carpio in the face three times while making his arrest, breaking bones in his face.^[2] An FBI investigation concluded that police did not use excessive force.^[3]

On June 27, 2006, a jury found Carpio guilty of the murder of Detective Allen and the stabbing of Madeline Gatta.^[4][5] The jury rejected Carpio's insanity defense; he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.^[5]

The state Supreme Court in 2012 denied Carpio’s appeal, saying, in part, that his lawyers had strategically opted not to pursue a new trial.^[6]

In 2017, he appealed to a federal judge and argued that the jury wrongfully convicted him, though he lacked criminal responsibility at the time because he was mentally ill and unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions.^[7] The appeal was dismissed.^[8]