PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A judge has ordered a new trial for a man recently convicted in the strangling death of a woman behind a Providence school nearly 30 years ago.
Kevin Williams, 54, was found guilty of second-degree murder last month following a more than two-week-long trial. He was accused of killing 41-year-old Kathleen O’Dowd Boleman behind Roger Williams Middle School in the spring of 1999.
BACKGROUND: Jury convicts man charged in 1999 Providence murder
Williams was identified as a suspect during the initial investigation but was not arrested until two years ago due to a lack of sufficient evidence to charge him at the time.
After reviewing evidence and interviewing witnesses, a Providence detective uncovered new information that led to a grand jury indictment charging Williams with murder in April 2024…