Providence man pleads guilty to 2021 Pawtucket murder

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that a Providence man has plead guilty in Providence County Superior Court to the 2021 murder of Leonardo Tavares.

At a hearing on August 15, 2024, before Superior Court Justice Maureen B. Keough, Jahcolin Rodrigues (age 23) plead guilty to one count of first-degree murder and one count of discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle.

The defendant remains held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) pending a sentencing hearing scheduled for September 9, 2024.

Had the case proceeded to a trial, the State was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that on May 15, 2021, the defendant shot and killed Leonardo Tavares on Randall Street in Pawtucket.

“One fatal act of gun violence yields so much suffering, forever changing the lives of those who cared for the victim,” said Attorney General Neronha. “It is my hope that by holding accountable violent criminals, like this defendant, we help deter others from committing similar acts of violence. Additionally, I want to thank the Pawtucket Police for their partnership in this case and so many others.”

On the afternoon of May 15, 2021, the defendant spotted Leonardo Tavares while driving through Pawtucket in a Subaru Impreza. After circling the block, the defendant fired multiple shots into Tavares’ Nissan Rogue, killing the victim. Several witnesses positively identified the defendant from video surveillance footage of the crime obtained by Pawtucket detectives.

The defendant had an ongoing feud with members and affiliates of the Bucket West street gang; the defendant believed that the victim was affiliated with Bucket West.

“I want to thank Detective Barrett and Sergeant Gould for their hard work on this case,” said Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves “Gun violence has no place in our communities, and the Pawtucket Police Department will continue to work hand in hand with the Attorney General’s Office to ensure that violent criminals are brought to justice.”

Special Assistant Attorneys General Alison Bittl and Edward G. Mullaney of the Office of the Attorney General and Detective Ethan Barrett and Sergeant Justin Gould of the Pawtucket Police Department, along with the assistance of Providence Police Intelligence Detectives Matthew McGloin and Jonathan Desmarais, led the investigation and prosecution of the case.