R.I. Gen. Laws
Rhode Island General Laws

R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-4-3 (2026)

Arson — Second degree

✓ current as of July 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section RI-LEGwebserver.rilegislature.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

Any person who knowingly causes, aids, procures or counsels by means of fire or explosion the damage or destruction of any unoccupied building, structure or facility the property of that person or another shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two (2) years nor more than twenty (20) years, or shall be fined not more than two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500), or both; provided, that if death occurs to a person as a direct result of the fire or explosion or to a person who is directly involved in fighting the fire or explosion, imprisonment shall be for not less than twenty (20) years.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 8 cases, 1975–2005 · leading case: State v. Menard, 888 A.2d 57 (R.I. 2005).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
State v. Menard, 888 A.2d 57 (R.I. 2005). · cites it 4× “” G.L. 1956 § 11-4-3, as amended by P.L. 1980, eh.”
State v. Parente, 460 A.2d 430 (R.I. 1983). · cites it 4× “283, § 2 and § 11-4-3. 1 Eugene Roberts (Roberts), *433 John Adams (Adams), and Francis Davis (Davis) were named as coconspirators.”
In Re Leon, 410 A.2d 121 (R.I. 1980). · cites it 2× “1956 (1969 Reenactment) §11-4-3. The other victim, Fortes, had apparently been a non-participating bystander.”
State v. Gazerro, 420 A.2d 816 (R.I. 1980). “1956 (1969 Reenactment) § 11-4-3. State v. Gianoulos, 404 A.2d at 82-83 .”
State v. Caprio, 477 A.2d 67 (R.I. 1984). “General Laws 1956 (1981 Reenactment) § 11-4-3. 3 . Section 11-4-5. 4 . However, the statute has other overlapping features.”
State v. Gianoulos, 404 A.2d 81 (R.I. 1979). “1956 (1969 Reenactment) §11-4-3, which, insofar as it relates to Gianoulos, provides that anyone who is convicted of aiding or counseling another to burn any building other than a dwelling house shall be imprisoned no less than 2 nor more than 20 years.”
State v. Wilbur, 339 A.2d 730 (R.I. 1975). “1956 (1969 Reenactment) §11-4-3. A Superior Court jury returned guilty verdicts against all three defendants.”
In Re Jason O., 701 A.2d 1033 (R.I. 1997). · cites it 2× “(respondent) was arraigned in the Family Court on one count of arson in the second degree in violation of G.L. 1956 § 11-4-3 for the burning of a warehouse in the town of Woonsocket.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.