Whilst I think that PA31 Nevergo is intrinsically dangerous with the single gear driven magnetos, something here doesn't stack up.
From 7000 ft Nth of RI the options should have been pretty comfortable unless RI was fogged out (which does happen).
In fact, if he had an engine out near RI, he was actually REQUIRED to put down at the closest suitable airport and that would have been RI I would have thought.
Certainly he was by all accounts a professional pilot and his demeanor in the last few seconds implies that, but somehow a situation that should have been manageable went sour. That's sad.
A colleague here in PH with a C404 would have been delighted to have had the same options a few years ago.