Often, yes - and it is one of our primary goals on any burglary case. The reduction from burglary to breaking and entering is the single most [...]
DNA is powerful but not infallible. Modern "touch DNA" can transfer secondarily - through handshakes, shared tools, or even clothing contact with someone who visited the scene. [...]
No. Fingerprints at a scene prove only that you touched a surface at some point. They do not prove when, why, or whether a crime was being [...]
Consent destroys the "breaking" element. If any person with authority over the property - a resident, a co-tenant, a spouse, a roommate - gave you permission, or [...]
Yes. Rhode Island is one of the few remaining states that preserves the common-law nighttime requirement for full burglary. If the alleged entry happened in daylight, the [...]
Yes, technically. Rhode Island General Laws § 11-8-1 sets the maximum at life imprisonment. That does not mean every burglary defendant ends up with life - far [...]
