Luis Sepulveda (WPRI/YouTube).
A 55-year-old man will spend the rest of his days behind bars for shooting and killing a relative during a Mother”s Day party in Rhode Island, authorities say.
Superior Court Justice Kristin E. Rodgers sentenced Luis Sepulveda to two consecutive life sentences for the murder of 44-year-old Angel Rodriguez. A jury in October found Sepulveda guilty of first-degree murder and other charges in the shooting that occurred on Mother’s Day 2023 in Providence.
According to prosecutors, Sepulveda drove from North Carolina to Rhode Island to attend the family party. Early on the day in question, the defendant and the victim got into an argument but they were able to resolve it peacefully. But around 11 p.m. there was a fistfight in the garage.
A sentencing memorandum obtained by local CBS affiliate WPRI stated Sepulveda said something like “I told you not to [expletive] with me. You don’t know who you’re [expletive] with. Now I am going to end your life.”
Sepulveda fired two shots in the air and then turned the gun on Rodriguez, hitting him once in the chest. The defendant drove off in a minivan but was later arrested. State police troopers found the murder weapon in the van. The five shell casings recovered at the scene matched Sepulveda’s gun. He also had gunshot residue on his hands.
Paramedics rushed Rodriguez to the hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Family members spoke during the sentencing hearing about the impact the murder has had on them.
“Who would have ever thought this man we’ve known for so long would betray our family like that and put us through this nightmare?” one woman said according to a courtroom report from local NBC affiliate WJAR. “This is something that has not only affected our lives, but ruined it.”
She called the victim a “strong soul.”
“Not only did Luis rob him of his life, but his opportunity to become a father — something he always wanted,” she said.
In addition to murder, the jury also convicted Sepulveda of discharging of a firearm resulting in death, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, assault with a dangerous weapon, using firearm during a violent crime and possessing a large capacity feeding device.
“These types of cases occur all too often when a person who is prohibited from owning and carrying a gun obtains one,” said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha. “This defendant senselessly murdered Angel Rodriguez, forever changing the lives of Angel’s family, friends, and community. Prior to Angel’s murder, this defendant demonstrated a well-documented pattern of violent criminal behavior, and as we know, violence begets violence. While this sentence can’t bring Angel back, I hope it provides some measure of peace for those who cared for him.”
