Angel Rodriguez’s relatives told the court the shooting changed their lives beyond repair.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Relatives of Angel Rodriguez confronted the loss of a man they called a strong soul as Luis Sepulveda was sentenced to two life terms for killing him at a Mother’s Day party.
The April 10 hearing in Providence County Superior Court brought together two records of the same crime: the evidence that led a jury to convict Sepulveda and the family statements describing what Rodriguez’s death left behind. Judge Kristin E. Rodgers sentenced Sepulveda, 55, to two consecutive life terms and added 10 years without parole after declaring him a habitual offender.
Family members and others connected to the gathering spoke about betrayal, memory and the shock of seeing a holiday party end with gunfire. Some wore large necklaces with Rodriguez’s photo. One speaker said the family had known Sepulveda for a long time and never expected him to be the person who would put them through such a nightmare. Another said the killing had not simply affected their lives, but ruined them. A third person said the events of that day still return to mind with the same unanswered question: why it happened.
Rodriguez, 44, was at a Mother’s Day party on Manton Avenue on May 14, 2023, when the shooting occurred. Prosecutors said he and Sepulveda argued earlier in the day, but witnesses described that dispute as resolved. Later that night, a fight broke out in the garage. The state said Sepulveda pulled a gun from his bag, fired twice into the air and then shot Rodriguez in the chest. A sentencing memorandum described a threat made during the confrontation. The public record does not fully explain what started the first argument or why the later fight escalated.
Providence police were called to Manton Avenue at about 11:04 p.m. Officers found Rodriguez on the ground with a chest wound. CPR was performed before rescue crews took him to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:36 p.m. In the courtroom, relatives described Rodriguez as someone who cared deeply about family and friends. One speaker said Sepulveda had robbed Rodriguez not only of his life, but also of the chance to become a father, something relatives said he had wanted.
While the family statements showed the emotional cost of the killing, prosecutors used the sentencing hearing to restate the evidence behind the verdict. Sepulveda left the scene in a gray minivan, according to the state. Rhode Island State Police troopers stopped the vehicle on Route 95 South and arrested him. A handgun was found in the driver’s door. Investigators recovered five shell casings at the scene, and ballistic testing showed they were fired from that handgun. Gunshot residue was found on Sepulveda’s hands, and DNA testing found evidence of his DNA on the firearm.
The jury convicted Sepulveda Oct. 23, 2025, after a seven-day trial. The counts included first-degree murder, discharge 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 a firearm during a violent crime and possessing a large-capacity feeding device. The list of convictions showed that jurors accepted the state’s account of the killing and the state’s proof that Sepulveda unlawfully carried and used the firearm.
Prosecutor Daniel C. Hopkins said Sepulveda illegally possessed a firearm, traveled from North Carolina to Rhode Island, brought the loaded gun into a Mother’s Day family celebration and killed another family member. Hopkins said Sepulveda should spend the rest of his life behind bars. Attorney General Peter F. Neronha said the case fit a pattern seen too often when people barred from owning or carrying guns obtain them. He said Sepulveda had shown a well-documented pattern of violent criminal behavior before Rodriguez’s murder.
Rodgers’ sentence made Sepulveda’s imprisonment permanent in practical terms. The two life terms are consecutive, and the additional 10-year habitual offender sentence is non-parolable and also consecutive. The sentencing order placed Sepulveda at the Adult Correctional Institutions. Neronha said the punishment cannot bring Rodriguez back, but he hoped it would provide some measure of peace to those who cared for him. Providence Police Colonel Oscar L. Perez said officers worked to bring justice in a difficult case and thanked the attorney general’s office for its partnership.
The case also showed how a family gathering can become a public court record. The party, the argument, the garage, the shots, the minivan stop, the lab results and the verdict are now part of the official account. For Rodriguez’s relatives, the record includes quieter details too: photo necklaces in court, statements read into the hearing and the repeated description of a man whose future was cut short before he could become the father he hoped to be.
Special Assistant Attorneys General Daniel C. Hopkins and Edward G. Mullaney prosecuted the case, with Providence police Detective Alicia Hersperger leading the investigation. Sepulveda remains sentenced under the life terms and the added 10-year punishment, while Rodriguez’s family leaves the courtroom with the verdict and sentence entered but the loss unchanged.
Author note: Last updated May 5, 2026.