Man charged 25 years after woman strangled to death behind middle school, officials say

Decades after a woman was strangled to death behind a Rhode Island middle school, a man has been charged in her killing, officials say.

Kevin Williams, 53, was charged with murder in the 1999 killing of Kathleen O’Dowd Boleman, the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office said in an April 18 news release.

“The passage of time does little to lessen the pain felt by those who have lost a loved one at the hands of another, particularly when such crimes go unsolved for many years,” Attorney General Peter F. Neronha said in the release.

Williams is accused of strangling Boleman, 41, behind a Providence middle school on March 11, 1999, prosecutors said.

Though detectives believed Williams may have been a suspect early on in the investigation, prosecutors said they didn’t have enough evidence to bring charges against him.

However, prosecutors said Providence police detective Angelo Avant took up the case again “in recent years,” combing through evidence, speaking with witnesses again and finding new witnesses.

Avant then presented the case to a grand jury, which led to Williams’ indictment, prosecutors said.

He was arrested on April 16 and arraigned the following day, according to prosecutors.

Williams, who is being held without bail, is expected to appear in court again on April 24, prosecutors said.

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