BY VINAYA SAKSENA

CUMBERLAND — A local man who was arrested after police found a woman stabbed to death in her house in late March has been indicted on charges that he killed his mother, according to information released by the office of Attorney General Patrick Lynch.

According to a statement from Lynch's office, the Providence County Grand Jury handed down an indictment on Friday naming 36-year-old Richard Paiva on one count each of murder, simple assault, third offense and refusal to relinquish a telephone. The charges stem from an incident that occurred at the end of March, in which Paiva allegedly assaulted and killed his mother, 57-year-old Rita Paiva of 64 Baldwin Street in her home.
According to Lynch's office, it is alleged that the murder occurred "on or about March 30, 2009," a day after the defendant allegedly refused to relinquish a phone to his mother in a separate incident. Based on their findings at the crime scene, police have said, it appeared that Rita Paiva had been stabbed several times, as several bloodied and in some cases broken knives were apparently found near the bed where her body was found.
Based on information learned from court records as well as Rita Paiva's former neighbors, it appeared that Richard Paiva had led a troubled existence, which allegedly included physical abuse by his mother and run-in's with the law for both of them.
At least one neighborhood resident who spoke to the Times / Call at the time of Richard Paiva's arrest indicated that it had long been a regular occurrence to see police show up at the Paiva residence following an audible dispute there, with Richard Paiva often being led away from the scene. Rita Paiva was also said to have been known to frighten away children who played near her house by coming out and yelling at them.
Court records indicated that Richard Paiva had an extensive arrest record dating back to the early 1990's, including charges of possession of narcotics, domestic assault and other offenses. Police Chief John Desmarais had said that all of those prior domestic assaults involved attacks on Paiva's mother. Court records also indicated that Rita Paiva had a criminal record, including charges of assault and assault with a dangerous weapon.
Desmarais had said that two of the charges against Paiva stemmed from a separate attack on his mother the day before her murder at about 2 p.m. Less than 12 hours before the murder, Desmarais said, Paiva allegedly punched his mother in the mouth, chipping her tooth, before knocking her down and kicking her. When she attempted to call for help, he allegedly prevented her from reaching a phone.
Based on that incident, police obtained a domestic assault warrant for Paiva, the charge being a felony due to two prior convictions for domestic assaults on his mother. Police reported taking a complaint from Rita Paiva that afternoon, but initially could not initially find her son.
It wasn't until approximately 1:30 the following morning that police received a 911 call from Richard Paiva's brother, asking that police check on his mother. Moments later, police reportedly found Mrs. Paiva deceased in her bed, apparently from multiple stab wounds.
Desmarais said at the time that police did not know what happened in the moments leading up to Mrs. Paiva's killing, but that “she could've been asleep” when her son allegedly stabbed her to death. Richard Paiva wasn't at the residence when police arrived; but was found a few blocks away at the residence of his brother Carlos Paiva, police said.
According to Lynch's statement, Paiva is scheduled to be arraigned in Providence County Superior Court on June 10.