Man stabbed ex-wife on RIPTA bus

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (WPRI) -- A man arrested in connection with the stabbing death of a woman aboard a RIPTA bus was arriagned on Wednesday afternoon.

Police were called to the area of West Main Rd., near Willow Lane, at about 6:15 a.m. for reports of a stabbing.

During their investigation, police said they determined the victim had just boarded the Route 60 bus when another passenger, identified as Christopher James, stabbed her with a 12 inch knife.

The victim has been identified as Terry Chiodo. Police say that James is the victim's ex-husband.

Police said after the stabbing two male passengers brought James, 46, to the ground and held him there until officers arrived on scene.

"Certainly these two citizens chose to get involved and it made our job a lot easier. He could have escaped from the scene and made our job more difficult," said Portsmouth Police Chief Jeffery Furtado.

Emergency crews rushed the woman  to Rhode Island Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. .

In a joint statement, Gov. Lincoln Chafee and RIPTA's Chairman, Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian reacted to the news.

“We first want to express our condolences to the family of the victim and our support for the passengers and driver who witnessed this troubling incident. This was an isolated event and Rhode Islanders should continue to be confident in their safety while using RIPTA. We have full confidence that the Portsmouth Police will conduct a full and thorough investigation and we will assist that investigation in any way possible.”

There's no confirmation on how many people were on the bus at the time. RIPTA spokeswoman Cristy Raposo said Route 60 is RIPTA's third highest ridership route, carrying about 2,920 passengers each weekday.