Newport Man Sentenced For Killing Little Compton Man At House Party

NEWPORT, RI — A Newport man was sentenced to 30 years in state prison for stabbing a Little Compton man to death at a house party in 2021, Attorney General Peter Neronha said Friday.

Tyrese Poulsen, 22, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading nolo contendere to manslaughter, He received the maximum penalty for manslaughter in Rhode Island, after killing Maximus Julian, 22.

"While justice has been served here, to the extent that is possible, the victim and his family received the worst sentence of all," Neronha said. "This defendant chose to murder Maximus Julian over a petty fistfight, robbing this young man of a full life, for no discernible reason. I hope that this outcome demonstrates to those with violent inclinations that this type of flagrant disregard for human life will earn you decades in prison."

Had the case gone to trial, prosecutors said they were prepared to prove that on May 29, 2021, Poulsen stabbed and killed Julian at a house party at a Thames Street VRBO listing in Newport.

In the early morning on May 30, 2021, Newport police were called to the area of Thames Street and Lee Avenue for a report of a stabbing. When officers arrived, they found Julian suffering from a stab wound to his neck and torso. Police then investigated the rental property on Thames Street and found a steak knife with blood on it, prosecutors said.

According to several witnesses at the party, an attendee tried to escort the victim from the party, at which point a fight broke out between several people, including Poulsen and the victim. Witnesses told police that after the fight began, Poulsen ran to the kitchen to retrieve a knife before stabbing the victim in the neck and torso, and fleeing, prosecutors said.

On June 1, 2021, Julian died at Rhode Island Hospital, and on June 3, 2021, Poulsen turned himself in to Newport Police.

The Rhode Island Department of Health concluded that the blood found on the knife contained the victim’s DNA.

"This kind of senseless violence will never be tolerated in our community," Newport Police Chief Ryan Duffy said. "My heart goes out to the victim’s family and friends, and hope that this sentence helps them find some semblance of peace."

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