Correctional officer charged with manslaughter in the death of murder suspect Timothy McQuesten

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and Colonel Darnell S. Weaver announced that the Providence County Grand Jury has returned an indictment charging a correctional officer at the Adult Correctional Institutions with manslaughter in the death of an inmate in 2021, following an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General and the Rhode Island State Police. The investigation was initiated in accordance with the Attorney General’s Protocol for the Review of Incidents Involving Use of Deadly Force, Excessive Force and Custodial Death.

On July 8, 2022, the Providence County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging 43-year-old Geoffrey Peters of Smithfield, with one count of involuntary manslaughter.

The defendant is scheduled to be arraigned on July 20, 2022, in Providence County Superior Court.

As alleged in the indictment, on January 18, 2021, the defendant, while on duty as a correctional officer at the ACI, committed manslaughter against inmate Timothy McQuesten. It is alleged that the defendant owed a duty of care to McQuesten and was criminally negligent in the execution of his duty.

McQuesten, who had been arrested in the double murder of a Lincoln couple, reportedly died after choking on his surgical mask.

The Rhode Island State Police and the Office of the Attorney General are leading the prosecution and investigation of the case with the assistance and cooperation of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, Office of Inspections.