Rhode Island Criminal Jury Instructions

Stefanie Murphy
For more than twenty years, I have practiced criminal law in Rhode Island, representing individuals in state and federal courts and serving as a town solicitor for Rhode Island municipalities. My experience as both a criminal defense attorney and a municipal prosecutor has given me a comprehensive understanding of how criminal cases are investigated, prosecuted, defended, tried, and reviewed on appeal.
Throughout my career, I have handled more than 2,500 DUI and criminal matters across Rhode Island’s courts. I have tried numerous cases before juries involving charges of murder, sexual assault, child molestation, larceny, domestic violence, controlled-substance offenses, and other serious crimes. My work has taken me through every stage of the criminal process—from the first consultation following an arrest through discovery, motion practice, evidentiary hearings, jury selection, trial, post-conviction proceedings, and appeal.
This extensive trial experience has taught me that effective advocacy requires more than a thorough knowledge of substantive law. It requires an understanding of how legal principles will be presented to the jury, how those principles shape the parties’ trial strategies, and how the language of an instruction may affect a jury’s consideration of the evidence.
Jury instructions occupy a critical place in our justice system. They transform statutes, judicial opinions, constitutional principles, and evidentiary standards into practical directions that jurors can understand and apply. A carefully drafted instruction does more than state the law: it provides the framework through which jurors evaluate the evidence, assess credibility, apply the presumption of innocence, and determine whether the prosecution has met its burden of proving every element of an offense beyond a reasonable doubt.
I prepared this collection of Rhode Island jury instructions as a practical working reference for attorneys handling criminal cases in this state. It reflects lessons drawn from decades of courtroom experience, including jury selection, motion practice, direct and cross-examination, trial advocacy, and the preservation of constitutional and evidentiary issues for appellate review. It also builds upon my prior work as editor and contributing author of A Practical Guide to Trying DUI Cases in Rhode Island, published by Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education in 2024.
This volume is not an official publication of the Rhode Island Judiciary, nor is it intended to replace independent legal research or the exercise of professional judgment. Statutes, court rules, and decisional law continue to evolve. Every proposed instruction should therefore be reviewed against current legal authority and tailored to the facts, evidence, charges, and disputed issues presented in the individual case.
My purpose in assembling this book is to provide Rhode Island practitioners with a clear, organized, and useful starting point for preparing jury instructions. I hope it assists counsel in identifying controlling legal principles, protecting their clients’ rights, preserving important issues for review, and presenting the law to jurors with the accuracy and clarity that justice demands.

Lilli Hancock is a recent graduate of Roger Williams University School of Law and an aspiring Rhode Island attorney. She recently completed the Rhode Island Bar Examination and intends to practice law in Rhode Island. Her legal interests include criminal defense, family law, and trial advocacy.
As a contributor to this collection of Rhode Island jury instructions, Lilli Hancock conducted legal research and assisted in reviewing, organizing, and developing materials designed to support the practical application of Rhode Island law. Through this work, she has developed a particular interest in the intersection of legal research, practice, and clear communication of the law.