Father Samuel Turillo (1920–2023)

Father Samuel Turillo’s assignment record spans nearly five decades of Rhode Island parishes — Warwick, Providence, West Warwick, Cranston, Barrington, Woonsocket, and Hope Valley — including two separate stints at Sacred Heart in West Warwick, the second lasting fifteen years. He is named on the Diocese of Providence’s published List of Credibly Accused Clergy and is among the 72 clergy included in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report on the Diocese (Appendix A, p. 2).

What happened to Father Turillo?

According to the Diocese of Providence’s published list, Father Turillo was removed from ministry on June 29, 2016 and died on July 17, 2023. The Attorney General’s Appendix A header records the same June 29, 2016 date but labels it “Suspended” rather than a removal from ministry; both are stated here as each source publishes them (Appendix A, p. 360).

According to the Attorney General’s report, Father Turillo was reassigned nine times during his active ministry from 1946 to 1994, and “several of those parish transfers were in response to child sexual abuse complaints or suspicions against him” (Report, p. 117). A Chancery Office record translated from Latin in 2016 states that in March 1953 Turillo “was accused of having committed sexual misconduct with several young boys of the Parish of Sacred Heart in [West Warwick], R.I.” and that Bishop Russell McVinney, “because of the suspicious circumstances of the matter, sent [Turillo] to the Monastery of Saint Gabriel in Brighton, Mass., to do penance” — after which he returned to parish ministry in Cranston. There is no indication in the Diocesan records that the complaint was investigated or referred to law enforcement (Report, p. 117; Appendix A, p. 361).

The report records that a complainant came forward to the Diocese in 2016 about alleged abuse in Barrington between 1956 and 1958; the Diocese referred the complaint to the Rhode Island State Police, but “prosecution was precluded by the expiration of the statute of limitations” (Report, p. 118). Following the 2016 complaint, Bishop Thomas Tobin removed Turillo’s faculties and reported the allegations to the Vatican, which — rather than removing him from the priesthood — imposed the penalty of a “life of prayer and penance” (Report, p. 119; Appendix A, p. 360).

Where Father Turillo served: assignment history

The Diocese of Providence publishes the following assignment record:

Source: Diocese of Providence, individual clergy record, verified July 7, 2026. The Attorney General’s Appendix A lists the same assignments and adds two further lines recording his 1994 retirement as Senior Priest and his 2016 suspension on leave (Appendix A, p. 360).

What the official lists say

The Diocese of Providence includes Samuel Turillo on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy – Deceased, with the status: “Removed from Ministry 6/29/2016; Died 7/17/23”. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) includes Father Biagio Samuel Turillo among the 72 clergy “determined by the Attorney General to have been credibly accused of child sexual misconduct in the Diocese of Providence” (Appendix A, p. 2). He is one of the 75 names on the Diocese of Providence credibly accused list, explained.

The report’s summary of the allegations states: “Father Biagio Samuel Turillo was accused of sexually abusing at least two boys, and possibly others, in the 1950s. Though the Diocese first learned of allegations of sexual abuse against Turillo in 1952 or 1953, while he was assigned to Sacred Heart Church in West Warwick, it did not remove him from ministry or report the allegations to law enforcement at the time. Rather, Bishop Russell McVinney simply transferred Father Turillo to a different parish” (Appendix A, p. 360). The same summary records that after the 2016 complaint, “Rather than laicize Turillo, Vatican officials directed Turillo to a ‘life of prayer and penance’” (Appendix A, p. 360).

As the Attorney General’s report itself states, unless otherwise noted, the details in its Appendix A are allegations — not facts proven in a courtroom or admitted by the accused — and the individuals named are generally entitled to a presumption of innocence. Father Turillo was never criminally charged; the report records that by the time the Barrington complainant came forward in 2016 — and the Diocese promptly referred that complaint to the State Police — “it was no longer legally possible to charge Turillo, who was still alive at the time” (Appendix A, p. 2; Report, p. 154).

Father Turillo died in 2023 — what that means for a claim

Many people first learn of a priest’s death from an obituary or a parish announcement, and only then start asking questions. Under Rhode Island’s revival window, his death does not affect the right to bring a claim: a civil claim for childhood sexual abuse is brought against the responsible institution — not the individual — and may be filed until June 30, 2028, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred:

• How Rhode Island’s revival window works
• Can you still sue if the priest has died?
• The June 30, 2028 deadline
• Who can file a claim

Common questions

Is Samuel Turillo on the credibly accused list? Yes. He appears on the Diocese of Providence’s published List of Credibly Accused Clergy (Deceased) and, as “Biagio Samuel Turillo,” in Appendix A of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report.

When was he removed from ministry? The Diocese’s published status is “Removed from Ministry 6/29/2016”. The Attorney General’s Appendix A header records the same date with the label “Suspended” (Appendix A, p. 360).

Was Father Turillo ever criminally charged? No. The Attorney General’s report records that when the 2016 complaint was referred to the Rhode Island State Police, prosecution was precluded by the expiration of the statute of limitations (Report, p. 118; Report, p. 154).

If it happened decades ago — as far back as the 1940s or 1950s — is it too late? Generally, no. The revival window exists precisely for claims the old statute of limitations barred, from any era, until June 30, 2028.

Confidential help

If something happened to you at one of these parishes, you can speak with a Rhode Island attorney confidentially, at no cost and with no obligation. You don’t need records or proof in hand to have a conversation, and you don’t need to have told anyone before. Contact Marin & Murphy Law Firm confidentially.

Other credibly accused clergy who served at these parishes

The official assignment records above overlap with those of other clergy on the official lists — the same institution of record, at any period, which is not an assertion that they served there at the same time:

• Father Peter Tedeschi — also served at St. Ann Church, Providence (+3 more shared)
• Father Peter Scagnelli — also served at St. Ann Church, Providence (+2 more shared)
• Father Charles Dolan — also served at St. Anthony Church, Woonsocket (+1 more shared)
• Father Edmund Micarelli — also served at Sacred Heart Church, West Warwick (+1 more shared)

Related town records: see all verified Providence records, Cranston records, Woonsocket records, and Warwick records, plus West Warwick records.

Reporting resources

Anyone with information about abuse may contact the Rhode Island State Police Special Victims Unit at (401) 764-0142, the RI Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-RI-CHILD (1-800-742-4453), or the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office at (401) 274-4400.

Questions About These Records? Talk With Marin & Murphy — Confidentially

If the assignment history on this page overlaps with your own — a parish, a school, a set of years — and you want to understand what it may mean for a claim under Rhode Island’s revival window, our attorneys can review it with you. Marin & Murphy Law Firm is a Rhode Island law firm representing survivors of childhood sexual abuse under the revival window (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2028). A conversation is free and confidential, nothing is filed and no one is contacted unless you decide, and there is no fee unless you recover. Call (401) 269-3381, or start with our Rhode Island clergy abuse lawyer page.

Corrections: we maintain a corrections policy for these pages, with a named contact and a 48-hour review commitment. If you believe anything on this page is inaccurate, please tell us.

Verification: every fact on this page is checked against both official sources — the Diocese of Providence’s published records and the Rhode Island Attorney General’s report — with source conflicts stated, not silently resolved. See how this database is verified.

Sources: Diocese of Providence, List of Credibly Accused Clergy and individual clergy record (verified July 7, 2026); Rhode Island Attorney General, Report on the Diocese of Providence and Appendix A (March 4, 2026). Where the two official sources differ (the name form “Samuel Turillo” vs. “Biagio Samuel Turillo”; the Diocese’s “Removed from Ministry” status vs. the Attorney General’s “Suspended” label for the same June 29, 2016 date; and the Attorney General’s additional 1994 retirement and 2016 suspension lines), both are stated with attribution. Information current as of July 7, 2026; official lists are working documents and may change.