State v. Coppola

OPINION

WEISBERGER, Justice.

This case comes before us on the defendant’s appeal from a judgment of conviction of first-degree arson in violation of G.L. 1956 (1981 Reenactment) § 11-4-2. Following the trial, a motion for new trial was denied, and the defendant was sentenced to fifteen years’ imprisonment. We reverse. The facts of the case insofar as they are pertinent to this appeal are as follows.

On March 14, 1981, at approximately 10:30 p.m., Donna Surprenant (Donna) heard a loud noise outside her apartment, located at 1989V2 Smith Street in the town of North Providence. She rose from her…