Judge Frank Caprio, known for his compassion in court, dies at 88

Judge Frank Caprio, renowned for his compassion successful Rhode Island courts, has died astatine the property of 88, his son, David Caprio, said successful a societal media station Wednesday. 

Caprio, a erstwhile justice for the Providence Municipal Court, died pursuing a bout with pancreatic cancer, according to a connection posted to societal media.

"Beloved for his compassion, humility, and unwavering content successful the goodness of people, Judge Caprio touched the lives of millions done his enactment successful the courtroom and beyond," the connection reads. "His warmth, humor, and kindness near an indelible people connected each who knew him."

"It was the emotion and enactment helium received from each of you that lifted his spirits and boosted his psyche to find the spot to combat connected and outlive his diagnosis by a twelvemonth and a half," David Caprio said successful the video.

Caprio went viral connected societal media for proceeding cases connected postulation and parking violations and arraignments for transgression offenses. It was Caprio's empathy and wit successful however helium handled the cases that would interaction audiences connected societal media.

Caprio grew up connected Federal Hill successful Providence, Rhode Island, and was the 2nd of 3 sons. Before becoming a judge, Caprio shined shoes, delivered newspapers and worked connected a beverage truck.

He graduated from Providence College successful 1958 and began teaching American authorities astatine a section precocious schoolhouse successful Providence. While teaching, helium besides attended nighttime schoolhouse astatine the Suffolk University School of Law successful Boston. 

Caprio served arsenic a Providence Municipal Court justice from 1985 to 2023.

"Caught successful Providence," an Emmy-nominated TV amusement which ran from 2018 to 2020, highlighted Caprio's day-to-day beingness reviewing postulation cases and misdemeanors successful Rhode Island. It skyrocketed him to fame connected societal media.

In December 2023, Caprio announced helium had pancreatic cancer, and helium decided to spell nationalist with his diagnosis to motivate others, hoping his endurance would beryllium an inspiration.

The erstwhile justice told "CBS Mornings" successful 2024 that his heavy empathy for others stems from hardships helium faced increasing up successful poorness successful Providence without blistery moving water, conscionable blocks from the courthouse present named aft him.

"I'm conscionable a small-town municipal tribunal judge, conscionable trying to bash good. That's however I am, who tries to instrumentality into information the circumstances surrounding the radical earlier me. And retrieve what my dada told me, erstwhile idiosyncratic appears earlier you, enactment yourself successful their shoes, ideate it's you earlier them. How bash you privation to beryllium treated?" Caprio said.

"It's not a pleasant acquisition to spell to furniture astatine night, accidental your prayers. And abruptly you person 1 other happening you person to inquire for. And that is, delight assistance the attraction beryllium palmy for the pancreatic cancer. And I deliberation we're connected the way," Caprio told CBS News successful an interview.

Caprio is survived by his woman of astir six decades, Joyce Caprio, and his 5 children, 7 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

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