Family of Slay Suspect Slams R.I. Cops

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A suspect accused of killing a detective with the officer's own gun appeared in court with a white mask covering the lower half of his face, which was bruised and swollen.

Police say Esteban Carpio (search) killed James Allen (search) while being questioned at police headquarters Sunday and was injured in a failed escape attempt. But Carpio's family shrieked when he shuffled into a courtroom Monday for his arraignment with his hands and legs shackled.

"Oh, my God, look what they did to him!" somebody yelled. Carpio's mother and another woman were wrestled out of the courtroom as they screamed about police brutality.

Authorities said Carpio jumped out of a third-floor window, injuring his leg, arm and head, and was captured after a struggle a few blocks away. There was no indication that police used excessive force to subdue him, Police Chief Dean Esserman said.

"If (Carpio's relatives) have allegations, if they have concerns, we will not be deaf to that," Esserman said.

Carpio, 26, nodded his head to respond to questions during his arraignment, but did not speak, except to say "I love you, Mom," as he was led out of the courtroom. He was ordered held without bail on a murder charge in the death of Allen. The case will now go to a grand jury.

Carpio was wearing the mask, called a spit shield, as a precaution, Department of Corrections spokeswoman Joy Fox said. The shields are used when a prisoner is bleeding or if there are concerns he might be combative, she said.

He had been taken in for questioning about the stabbing of an elderly woman when the detective was killed. Carpio's family said he had recently been experiencing mental problems.

"He needed help and we couldn't get it and we tried and tried," Dolores Irish, who identified herself as Carpio's aunt, said outside court. "He didn't deserve this. He's a victim just as much as anybody else in this."

Allen, 50, was married and had two daughters, and had been a police officer for 27 years. A funeral Mass was planned for Thursday.

No charges have been filed in the stabbing of the 84-year-old woman, and Carpio remains a suspect, Esserman said. The woman was expected to recover.