Man sentenced to 4 years in 2006 knife fight 01:00 AM EST on Friday, December 7, 2007 By Gregory Smith Journal Staff Writer PROVIDENCE -- A raw wound that slashes through two families who live a block apart in the Greystone section of North Providence was on ugly display in Superior Court yesterday. Two distraught mothers stepped to a lectern in a criminal-sentencing hearing to tell a judge how devastating a knife attack had been to their respective families -- the family of the victim and the family of the knife-wielder. "We have already served one year and expect it to continue," declared Gail Manzotti, mother of victim Taft J. Manzotti. While defendant Frank Capaldi III has been free on bail, enjoying his friends and going to the beach, she said, the Manzottis have been serving a virtual prison sentence, dragged down by the after-effects of what Capaldi did to their son. Capaldi, 20, of 35 N. Elmore Ave., North Providence, a former captain of the North Providence High School Cougars football team, previously pleaded no contest to felony assault and mayhem in a 2006 Thanksgiving eve street fight outside a nightclub in Providence's Jewelry District. Yesterday, he sat at the defense table, about to be sentenced by Judge Daniel A. Procaccini. In the gallery sat his victim and former buddy, Manzotti, 24, of 15 Esther Drive, North Providence, son of Providence police Patrolman Taft A. Manzotti, hanging his head as if to hide the thick scar on his face. Much of the back-and-forth during the hearing dwelled on the severity of Manzotti's lingering physical and psychological injuries. Capaldi and his parents also are the target of a legal claim by the Manzottis that seeks financial damages for the crimes. The prosecutor, Special Assistant Attorney General James M. Callaghan, and the victim's mother and sister, in emotional terms, described Manzotti as a depressed, listless man unable to leave his house since the attack and anguished by the constant questions that people ask about his scars. But defense lawyer John F. Cicilline told the judge that Manzotti's disfigurement had been exaggerated in court and that Manzotti has been seen nightclubbing and at Providence Place mall, as well as riding a motorcycle and driving his new car. Callaghan and the Manzottis asked the judge to sentence Capaldi to six years' imprisonment, and Cicilline asked that he be spared prison. Cicilline suggested Capaldi serve three years' home confinement with a monitoring device, while being allowed to hold down a job, make restitution, and perform 200 hours' community service, including 50 hours in service to the Manzotti family, doing tasks around their house or whatever work they would determine. Openly skeptical of the sincerity of Capaldi's apologies, Procaccini said punishment and deterrence would be necessary. He received 28 letters of support for Capaldi that depict the defendant as "one of the most angelic people who has ever lived" but none of which explains Capaldi's arguable history of aggressive and assaultive behavior, the judge said. He ordered the defendant to serve four years in prison -- within court guidelines for the crimes involved -- and the balance of a 20-year sentence suspended with probation. The sentence was met with shocked cries of distress by several of Capaldi's friends and relatives. Despite Capaldi's plea, which includes an admission of certain facts, much remains in dispute in the case. The incident occurred Nov. 23, 2006, outside Prov, a nightclub at 99 Chestnut St. Manzotti and Capaldi were inside with friends in different groups, and each insists the other called him outside for a fight. The prosecution contends Capaldi was in a jealous rage because Manzotti was dating Capaldi's former girlfriend. Capaldi said the relationship was "just a high school thing" long since put away. They disagree about who initiated the fisticuffs outside, but at some point Capaldi held a black-handled knife with a 4 1/2-inch curved and serrated blade. Twice he slashed Manzotti across the face, gouging wounds that, according to a police report, required 17 staples and about 80 stitches. Capaldi said the knife was not his and that he does not remember how he got hold of it -- a disclaimer that troubled Procaccini. Capaldi's mother, whose first name was spoken inaudibly, tearfully addressed the court before her son did. "Frankie is truly a good kid," she declared. She said his behavior in the fight was "the scared reactions of a child." The incident has wreaked havoc on both families, she said. Frank Capaldi, who as a player for the Cougars was named to the Coaches All-Division Team in Rhode Island interscholastic football, is a former student at Community College of Rhode Island and has been an employee of the Twin River gambling complex. His criminal conviction, he lamented in court, would cost him his dream of becoming a North Providence firefighter. The defendant, who suffered a broken nose and cuts and bruises in the fight, told the judge that he was "truly scared for my life" and swung the knife in order to get free of Manzotti and another man. "Your honor, I am in no way a threat to society," said Capaldi, whose voice grew thick with emotion as he finished his speech. After the sentence was pronounced and most of the crowd had shuffled out, Taft J. Manzotti and Gail Manzotti said they generally are satisfied by the punishment. "Both sides need to move on" now, Mrs. Manzotti remarked.
