RI Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of 43-Year-Old Mother of Two
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
A Woonsocket man has been sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to life in prison after pleading to the murder of 43-year-old Erika Belcourt in Woonsocket in 2020.
At a hearing on January 23, 2023, James Grilli, (age 39) entered a plea of nolo contendere to one count of second-degree murder and one count of leaving the scene of an accident, death resulting.
At the hearing, before Superior Court Justice Richard Raspallo, the Court sentenced the defendant to life at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI).
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“This extraordinary act of domestic violence took the life of a mother of two, who had much to live for. The defendant’s outrageous conduct has now landed him precisely where he belongs: in state prison, for decades to come,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Nothing can return Erika to her family and friends, but I hope that this long sentence brings them a measure of justice. I remain grateful to the Woonsocket Police Department for their strong work during the investigation and prosecution of this case, as in so many others.”
Had the case proceeded to trial, the State said it was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that during the early evening hours of August 22, 2020, the defendant struck and killed Erika Belcourt with his car following an argument.
About Case
According to the RI Attorney General's office, at approximately 5:30 PM. that evening, the defendant and Belcourt, who were involved in an intermittent dating relationship, entered into a verbal argument at her apartment on Diamond Hill Road in Woonsocket.
During the argument, Belcourt asked the defendant to leave and remove his belongings from the home. The defendant made several trips to and from his vehicle during this time. The argument escalated when the defendant broke down the front door of her apartment, prompting Belcourt to call the Woonsocket Police Department.
While Belcourt was on the phone with police outside of her apartment, she was positioned in front of the defendant’s vehicle, a black late-model Ford Escape. The defendant revved his engine several times before accelerating his vehicle towards Belcourt, running her over.
At no point did the defendant stop his vehicle and he continued to drive away from the scene, leaving Belcourt lying severely injured in the parking lot of her apartment complex. Rescue personnel from the Woonsocket Police and Fire Departments arrived shortly thereafter and transported Belcourt to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead several hours later.
Later that evening, the defendant was apprehended in Pawtucket and his car was impounded.
During the incident, Belcourt’s two sons were home inside of the apartment.
Related Articles
- Providence Man Sentenced to Serve 40 Years for Shooting Providence Police Officer
- Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Check Cashing Schemes - After Initial Arrest for Bank Fraud
- RI Man Who Had 1,400 Child Porn Images on Phone Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison
- Former Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Chairman and Top RI Architecture Firm CEO Sentenced in Bribery Case
- RI CEO Who Didn’t Pay Employee Taxes & Spent $200K on RussianBrides.com Sentenced to Prison
- RI Man Who Defrauded Top Restaurants of $830,000 in Seafood Sentenced to Federal Prison
- Providence Man Sentenced to Serve 28 Years for Role in Murder of 78-Year-Old
- RI Man Who Tried to Entice a Minor to Dress Up in a Diaper for Sex Is Sentenced to 16 Years
- Rhode Island “Drug Runner” Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison
- RI Man Sentenced to Prison for Torching Providence Police Cruiser During 2020 Riot