Portsmouth Woman's Murderer Sentenced to Life in Prison

PORTSMOUTH, RI—Christopher James will spend the rest of his life in prison after being sentenced today after being found guilty of first degree murder by a jury in March.

James, 49, formerly of Providence, fatally stabbed 46-year-old Terry Chiodo after she boarded a Rhode Island Transportation Authority Bus in 2013.

James, Chiodo's estranged ex-husband, got on the bus ahead of Chiodo's regular stop knowing she would be on the bus.

The cold-blooded killing shocked the Portsmouth community. It was the first murder for the town since 2002 and served as a stark reminder of the scourge of domestic violence and its prevalence everywhere.

“Terry Chiodo did everything she could to escape the abuse and terror of Christopher James, yet he tracked her down and murdered her in cold blood. No person should have to ever live in fear of dying at the hands of their abuser,” said Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin.

James' lawyers argued that he suffered from mental problems. But the jury sided with the prosecution's assertion that James planned to kill Chiodo, evidenced by his steps leading up to the murder and boarding the bus ahead of her stop on Bristol Ferry Road. The state sought testimony from an expert witness, Martin Kelly, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and forensic psychiatrist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, who said that James "did not suffer from any mental condition that diminished his capacity to form the intent to murder," Kilmartin said.

Their case was bolstered by a harrowing text message detectives found on James' phone, sent to Chiodo the night before the killing.

"Consider yourself dead you will never see your grandkids grow."
During the trial, prosecutors described a chaotic and horrifying scene aboard the bus that February morning

James boarded the No. 60 bus at Kennedy Plaza early in the morning. Chiodo, on her way to work at the Subway sandwich shop in Newport, boarded at around 6:15 a.m.

Witnesses described the two whispering and possibly arguing for a few moments before James stood, pulled the yellow cord to tell the driver to stop the bus, and hit Chiodo. 

Witnesses said it looked like he punched her. A moment later, she screamed "he just stabbed me."

Two passengers, Douglas Gomes and Andre Gatlin testified during the trial and described holding down James as police and emergency personnel were dispatched.

The bus driver, Elizabeth Russell, called 911 and RIPTA dispatch. 

Chiodo, a mother of two children, was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital where she died from her injuries.

The bystanders deserve recognition for their efforts, despite the tragic outcome, Kilmartin said.

"While unable to save Terry’s life, these individuals put their own lives at risk to help a stranger by stopping and detaining James and offering Terry comfort and solace until emergency personnel arrived on scene," the attorney general said. "Their quick and compassionate actions that morning and their testimony at trial. . .helped ensure that Christopher James would be held responsible for his crime."

Portsmouth Police Detective Michael Arnold investigated the case and Assistant Attorney General John E. Corrigan prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of Attorney General.

Friends and family describe Chiodo as a giving and forgiving person who loved her grandchildren more than anything else in the world.

She was also in touch with God. She attended CrossPoint Church in Newport.