PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island man acquitted of murder in the killing of his friend has been sent to prison for 18 years as a habitual offender for stealing the dead man’s car and probation violations.
Louis Sinapi, of Cranston, was sentenced Wednesday by a judge who referred to the “extraordinary and aggravating” circumstances of the crimes.
The 57-year-old Sinapi has a criminal history of break-ins, robberies, extortion, and blackmail.
A jury in November found Sinapi not guilty of fatally stabbing 55-year-old John Fiore, a friend he sometimes stayed with, in 2014. The jury convicted Sinapi of larceny for stealing Fiore’s car, which he tried to barter for drugs.
Sinapi’s attorney said the sentence was unusually harsh and a de-facto life sentence.
Fiore’s siblings welcomed the lengthy sentence, calling Sinapi a “psychopath.”
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