Interim Report of the Providence County Grand Jury
Reported February 9, 2021
An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Oscar Hernandez (age 47)
Central Falls, RI
P1-2021-0414A
On February 9, 2021, the Providence County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Oscar Hernandez with four counts of first-degree child molestation and three counts of second-degree child molestation.
The alleged acts occurred in the city of Pawtucket on diverse dates between September 1, 2015 and August 31, 2016. The Pawtucket Police Department conducted the investigation.
The defendant is scheduled to be arraigned on March 3, 2021 in Providence County Superior Court.
Elder Duarte (age 23)
Providence, RI
P1-2021-0415ADV
On February 9, 2021, the Providence County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Elder Duarte with one count of first-degree sexual assault, one count of first-degree robbery, one count of domestic assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count of domestic simple assault.
The alleged acts occurred in the city of Providence sometime on October 30, 2020.The Providence Police Department conducted the investigation.
The defendant is scheduled to be arraigned on March 3, 2021 in Providence County Superior Court.
Nigel Nichols (age 35)
ACI, Cranston, RI
P1-2021-0413AG
On February 9, 2021, the Providence County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Nigel Nichols with one count of murder, one count of discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, three counts of discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in injury, one count of discharge of a firearm from a motor vehicle, and one count of illegal possession of a firearm.
The alleged acts occurred in the city of Providence sometime on October 2, 2011. The Providence Police Department conducted the investigation.
The defendant is currently serving multiple life sentences at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) for a 2009 double murder. He will be scheduled for arraignment in Providence County Superior Court at a future date.
New York police are moving in to shut down an anti-Israel protest at Columbia University. The students built tents on a campus lawn Wednesday and refused to leave. The action comes after the president of the university faced a grilling by lawmakers yesterday on Capitol Hill regarding antisemitism on campus. 
