A Newport man, 22, is set to serve 30 years in state prison for fatally stabbing Maximus Julian at a house party in 2021.
Tyrese Poulsen entered a no-contest plea to manslaughter on Nov. 13 in Newport County Superior Court. Justice Stephen P. Nugent handed down the maximum sentence for manslaughter in Rhode Island.
Attorney General Peter F. Neronha made the sentencing announcement on Friday.
The incident took place on May 29, 2021, at short-term rental on Thames Street in Newport. Witnesses say a fight broke out as someone tried to remove Julian from the party.
Poulsen reportedly grabbed a knife from the kitchen before stabbing Julian in the neck and torso. He then left the scene.
Newport police arrived in the early hours of May 30, 2021, responding to stabbing reports. They found Julian with stab wounds and recovered a bloodied steak knife at the scene.
Julian, also 22, died from his injuries at Rhode Island Hospital on June 1, 2021. Poulsen turned himself in to Newport police two days later.
The Rhode Island Department of Health confirmed Julian’s DNA was present in the blood on the knife.
Detective Joseph Lavallee of the Newport Police Department led the investigation. Assistant Attorney General Eric Batista and Special Assistant Attorney General Allison Stackpole prosecuted the case.
