State v. St. Pierre

The defendant, along with one Richard DeFreitas, is charged in a five-count indictment with having committed several infractions of the law, all of which relate to the July 7, 1970 holdup of a credit union located in the city of Pawtucket. There are two counts in the indictment that are pertinent to this appeal. One charges the defendant with being an accessory before the robbery, while the other charges him with receiving stolen goods. Prior to the Superior Court jury trial, the trial justice granted the state’s motion to sever the two counts so that as a result the only count tried before…