PROVIDENCE — A federal appeals court ruled Monday that an inmate at the center of a legal tug-of-war between Gov. Lincoln Chafee and federal prosecutors may stand trial in federal court, where he faces a possible death penalty prosecution over a fatal robbery.
The 3-2 decision issued by the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston sided with federal prosecutors, saying the state prison would serve as “a refuge against federal charges” if Jason W. Pleau were allowed to remain in the custody of Rhode Island authorities.
