Former Newport man charged for alleged 1985 murder following cold case investigation
Published on Tuesday, October 06, 2026
An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and Newport Police Chief Ryan Duffy today announced that a former Newport man has been charged in Newport County District Court with the 1985 murder of 22-year-old Hillary Hellewell. The defendant’s arrest and arraignment are the result of a joint investigation by the Office of the Attorney General and the Newport Police Department, with assistance from the Smithfield Police Department.
On October 6, 2026, the defendant, William Morton (age 61), was arraigned and charged with one count of murder.
“The purpose of the Cold Case Unit is to find long-overdue answers for victims and their families,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Healing is a process without a defined end, but nevertheless, victims and their loved ones deserve answers and ultimately justice. We often talk about ‘closure’ as if it is a tangible thing we can achieve following a tragedy. The truth is that victims of violent crime and their families often never fully heal, especially when they have more questions than answers. Nevertheless, by harnessing the power of the latest advancements in DNA technology, we now have been able to find answers in four previously unsolved cases over the past year, with more on the horizon. The Office’s Cold Case Unit is an invaluable resource to the people of Rhode Island, as are the police departments across the state who assist our Office in achieving accountability. I thank the Newport and Smithfield Police Departments for their partnership on this investigation.”
Court documents filed in Second Division District Court today allege that the defendant murdered 22-year-old Hillary Hellewell on or about May 19, 1985, in the city of Newport.
Following the murder, the Newport Police Department initiated an investigation that soon went cold. In 2023, the Office of the Attorney General and the Newport Police Department reopened the investigation, employing new forensic DNA analysis and investigative techniques that identified the defendant as a potential suspect.
“Cases like this remind us that the passage of time does not diminish our commitment to seeking justice for victims and their families,” said Newport Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety Ryan Duffy. “I am extremely proud of the work of the Newport Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division and grateful for the partnership and expertise of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit. This case demonstrates what can be accomplished when dedicated investigators, strong interagency collaboration, and modern forensic science come together with a shared commitment to never give up on a victim.”
The defendant was held without bail and is scheduled for a status conference on October 20, 2026.
RIAG Cold Case Unit
Unsolved cold cases leave victims seeking justice and closure for years and, in many cases, decades. In 2023, Attorney General Neronha requested state funding to add Office staff for the specific purpose of assisting in the investigation of cold cases that many police departments lacked the resources to continue to pursue on their own. The General Assembly provided the requested funding, and the unit was established later that year.
The Office’s Cold Case Unit is comprised of full-time prosecutors, investigators, and staff, including a certified full-time forensic genealogist, who support state and local police departments in their investigations, adding value in the pursuit of justice for victims and their loved ones. Since its inception, our Cold Case Unit has documented more than 150 cold cases. The Unit has also assisted police departments with 13 cold case homicides, which has included creating digital cases files, securing DNA samples, sending items for testing, and reviewing case files for potential next steps. In 2025, our Cold Case Unit resolved two decades-old homicide cold cases and in 2026, the Unit completed its investigation into a decades-old sexual assault which led to the arrest of a Hopkinton man.
To learn more about the Office’s Cold Case Unit, please visit our website.
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