Summary
The New England First Amendment Coalition sued the Narragansett Police Department for access to records that could answer questions about the 2021 death of Narragansett resident Liliana Turano-Morris. NEFAC and Turano-Morris’s son William Soares are challenging the police department’s refusal to provide any documents related to the death or its investigation, despite being largely public records under Rhode Island law.
On April 13, 2021, Turano-Morris was found dead by her husband in their bedroom with a gunshot wound to her head and her husband’s handgun beside her. According to information provided to her son by police officers, two other gunshots had been fired, one in a chair and one high up the wall in the cathedral ceiling style bedroom.
According to Soares, the authorities ruled her death a suicide, but there was no suicide note, she had plans to meet a friend for lunch that day, and she had texted Soares that morning asking for advice on COVID-19 vaccines.
To date, the police department has refused to release a single record relating to Turano-Morris’s death despite multiple requests. Records of a public agency such as a police department are presumptively public under Rhode Island’s Access to Public Records Act (“APRA”). The Narragansett Police Department is citing, among other reasons, privacy interests to keep the requested records secret under APRA.
Rhode Island law, however, doesn’t generally recognize the privacy interests of the deceased and any interests that might exist are outweighed by the case’s great public interest. They have also cited the exemption that allows an agency to withhold records relating to criminal investigations, without providing any details about any investigation whatsoever.
Filings and Decision
- Complaint (Aug. 6, 2026)
Media Coverage
- Lawsuit Seeks Police Records in 2021 Narragansett Death
- Westerly Man, Advocacy Group Sue for Police Records About Mother’s Death
- Haunted By Questions About His Mother’s Death, RI Man Sues Narragansett Police
Testimonials
“For five years, the people who loved Liliana have lived without answers. She deserved a thorough investigation, an honest record, and law enforcement agencies willing to show their work,” said her son William Soares, who is co-plaintiff in the case with NEFAC. “This lawsuit is a step toward the truth — not just for me, but for everyone who loved her and for every Rhode Islander who trusts that their government will be honest about matters of life and death.”