Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

By Tatiana Pina
Journal staff writer

PROVIDENCE -- Lawyers in the murder trial of Gilbert Delestre, accused of beating a toddler to death, rested their case this morning. Closing arguments are expected this afternoon.

Delestre, 27, is accused of beating to death in 2004 his girlfriend's 3-year-old nephew, Thomas "T.J." Wright. He's charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy.

Yesterday, Delestre took the stand on his own defense and testified that he only hit "T.J." in the head as they were going upstairs and the boy fell backward.

His girlfriend, Katherine Bunnell, was convicted in May of second-degree murder and conspiracy stemming from the child's death and is serving a life sentence with the chance of parole.

This morning, his lawyer, Robert Mann, called to the stand Delestre's maternal aunt and uncle to testify on Delestre's character.

Félix and Ivette Rivera helped Delestre's grandmother raise him when his mother died when Delestre was 10 years old. Félix Rivera said Delestre did some carpentry and auto work with him to earn extra money.

When Mann asked if Delestre was truthful, Rivera replied, "With me, he was. In (sic) my knowledge, I think he is."

On cross-examination, prosecutor Stacey Pires Veroni asked Rivera if knowing that Delestre had lied to rescue personnel about how T.J. got hurt, and that he also lied to police, DCYF, and Katherine Bunnell, changed his testimony on Delestre's credibility.

"It don't change the way I think about him," Rivera said.

"He admitted he lied," Veroni pressed on.

"If he's telling you he lied, he's telling you the truth," Rivera retorted.

 Tags  Delestre Gilbert Delestre Katherine Bunnell murder trial Providence RI T.J. Wright Thomas J. Wright Woonsocket

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