00:00We're also following some breaking news, some sad news.
00:03Rhode Island's iconic judge, Frank Caprio, has died this afternoon.
00:06The retired municipal court judge, you know, he was well-known nationally and internationally
00:10for his, you know, empathy and sense of humor in the show Caught in Providence.
00:16Yeah, recently, in 2023, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer
00:19and shared his health struggles on social media, often asking for prayers at times.
00:24NBC10's Gene Valicenti joins us now.
00:26Gene, you knew Judge Caprio very well.
00:28I did. You're right. He was a real Rhode Island icon whose fame spread well beyond this little state.
00:33As you said, the TV judge on Caught in Providence, first on local cable, later in national syndication,
00:39a big deal, and then exploding with millions of fans and followers on social media
00:43where his final post just last night asked for prayers with now we know time running short following a setback.
00:50Now, he was known as the compassionate judge, a listener, an authority figure able to dispense the medicine,
00:56but always mindful of the circumstances of those appearing before him,
01:00and more than willing to simply cut people a break if that's what made more sense.
01:05Though it turns out that was a learned behavior.
01:07Just last year, following publication of his autobiography, he told me how, as a new judge,
01:12he was inclined to rule otherwise, to be stern.
01:15But he learned a lasting lesson on day one, not from his law school, but from his father watching in court.
01:21I professed it. I did nothing different than what my father and mother taught me to do, you know, and how they lived.
01:28My first day on the bench, a woman came in.
01:30She was obstinate. She was disrespectful.
01:33And she had three kids, and she kept saying, I'm not paying anyway, I can't afford it.
01:38And she really riled me.
01:40So I charged her the full fine.
01:42My father came in chambers afterwards.
01:45I said, Dad, how did I do? My first day on the bench.
01:47Did good, didn't I?
01:49He said, that woman.
01:50I said, what woman?
01:51The one you charged, the one with the three kids.
01:54I said, yeah, she was disrespectful.
01:56He says, no, you can't do that.
01:59He said, she was, and she was scared.
02:00Now, maybe she can't feed her kids tonight.
02:03Maybe she's going to get evicted.
02:06Now, that stuck with him, and maybe that framed his outlook on life.
02:11Now, following that devastating diagnosis of cancer, in his mid-80s, lived a full life.
02:15He was determined to fight, and he went through grueling chemotherapy,
02:20clinics in Massachusetts, down in Miami, and he had some success.
02:24He clawed back some good time.
02:27But in the end, he had a setback.
02:29He was in the hospital for the past 10 days.
02:31Judge Caprio leaving us.
02:33More coming up at 6 o'clock.
02:35Back to you.
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