Rhode Island woman found guilty for her role in the driving death of 17-year-old Olivia Passaretti

Attorney General Peter Neronha announced that a Charlestown woman has been found guilty in Kent County Superior Court for her role in the driving death of 17-year-old Olivia Passaretti in 2022.

On Friday, following a four-day trial before Superior Court Justice Luis M. Matos, a jury found 27-year-old Alicia Peckham guilty of one count of aiding and abetting a criminal, one count of aiding and abetting the driver who failed to stop after knowingly being involved in a crash that resulted in death, one count of knowingly concealing the commission of a felony, and one count of obstructing an officer in the execution of duty.

The Court released the Peckham on bail pending her sentencing hearing to be held at a later date.

“In June, our Office helped pass important and long overdue legislation concerning dangerous driving, which oftentimes leads to horrific, entirely avoidable tragedies like this one,” said Attorney General Neronha. “This defendant aided and abetted an alleged criminal, standing in the way of justice for Olivia, whose life was tragically ripped away from her that evening, leaving her loved ones to pick up the pieces. I’m grateful to the jury for delivering justice in this case and thankful to the Rhode Island State Police for their exceptional work here.”

During the trial, the State proved that Peckham aided and abetted her boyfriend, Aramis Segura, after he left the scene of a car crash that killed Passaretti during the early morning hours of New Years Day 2022.

At approximately 12:30 a.m., Aramis Segura was allegedly driving his 2010 Mercedes Benz C300 sedan at a high rate of speed on I-95 South when he changed lanes and collided with a 2008 Nissan Altima. In the immediate aftermath of the crash, Segura is alleged to have fled the scene, leaving his car behind. The victim’s vehicle rolled into the west shoulder of the highway and landed on its roof after hitting a large tree. Warwick rescue personnel pronounced the victim as deceased at the scene.  Segura is currently awaiting trial on charges resulting from this incident.  He is presumed innocent unless and until he is convicted by a jury or pleads guilty to the charges.  

Separately, Peckham was out celebrating New Year’s Eve at Applebee’s in Garden City in Cranston. After leaving the restaurant, she returned to Providence to retrieve her vehicle before traveling south on I-95 towards her home in Charlestown. While driving, she came upon the aforementioned crash and stopped to speak with a Rhode Island State Police trooper, at which time she denied recognizing the vehicle allegedly operated by Segura. 

At 2:31 a.m., Segura called Peckham and asked her to pick him up in East Greenwich.  A short time later, she picked him up in her vehicle and drove him to their home in Charlestown. Several hours later, the State Police arrived at their Charlestown home looking for Segura, but Peckham denied knowing his whereabouts. Shortly thereafter, State troopers located Segura inside the home and arrested him.

The case against the codefendant, Segura, remains pending. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for August 23, 2024.

Assistant Attorney General John Corrigan of the Office of the Attorney General and Detective Lieutenant Heather Palumbo, Lieutenants Sean McGehearty and Mark McGehearty, and Captain Jeffrey L’Heureux of the Rhode Island State Police led the investigation and prosecution of this case.