Police seized guns from Hopkinton man before domestic homicide

HOPKINTON, R.I. (WLNE) — A report from Hopkinton police showed that 45-year-old Joseph Francis was arrested for multiple domestic misdemeanors and a felony gun charge back on May 20.

“All of the guns that we were told that were there at the time, we seized,” Hopkinton Police Chief Mark Carrier said.

Police took two pistols from the home on Subtown Road and a no-contact order was issued between Joseph and his estranged wife, 44-year-old Stephanie Francis.

“A no-contact order is a tool,” Lucy Rios, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence said. “It’s a tool that provides a measure of safety for a lot of victims of domestic violence, but when an abusive party is escalating, sometimes it’s not enough, and in this case, it wasn’t enough to keep that person safe.”

That no contact order was still in place on July 5 when police say Joseph shot and killed Stephanie with her two children and a friend of theirs inside her home.

In addition to being out on bail, under red flag laws, Carrier said Joseph was not allowed to purchase or have a gun.

Joseph was found dead the next day after driving his car into the woods while fleeing from police.

Carrier said an incident like this rattles the entire community, as the last murder in town was 13 years ago.

“It affects everybody,” Carrier said. “The dispatchers that are working that night taking those calls from those children, it affects the neighbors, the people that knew her.”

Advocates said these murders are preventable and there are resources for those affected by domestic violence.

“Specifically for our friends and family that are living in the Hopkinton area,” Rios said. “They should know about the domestic violence center in South County, know that their services are free and confidential.”

Carrier said the couple was in the midst of a separation.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, a 24-hour hotline can be found on the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence website.