Jury finds Providence man guilty of 2021 murder of 23-year-old Providence man
Jury finds Providence man guilty of 2021 murder of 23-year-old Providence man
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that a Providence man has been found guilty in Providence County Superior Court of the murder of 23-year-old Andrei Bonilla and the domestic assault of a female victim during a 2021 shooting in Providence.
On December 9, 2022, following the conclusion of a seven-day jury trial before Superior Court Justice Kristen E. Rodgers, the jury found Andrew Mangru (age 23) guilty of one count of second-degree murder; one count of discharge of a firearm when committing a crime of violence, resulting in death; one count of domestic assault; one count of carrying a pistol without a license; one count of obstruction of the judicial system; and one count of attempted solicitation, and one count of attempt to violate a No Contact Order.
The defendant is currently being held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) pending a sentencing hearing to be scheduled for a later date in Providence County Superior Court.
“This case is about senseless and indiscriminate gun violence. And this violence, which too often results in death, can be traced to one thing, the very thing that is at the heart of this case: illegal firearms wielded by criminals all too willing to use them at a moment’s notice to settle minor disputes and ridiculous scores,” said Attorney General Neronha. “I am grateful that the day of consequence and justice has arrived for the defendant, who now faces deservedly long sentences in state prison for so blithely taking the life of another. The men and women of the Providence Police Department and Rhode Island State Police have my continued admiration and gratitude for their outstanding work investigating this case and ensuring its successful prosecution.”
At trial, the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that during the early morning hours of August 28, 2021, the defendant shot and killed Andrei Bonilla and assaulted a female victim outside of a residence on Harwol Street in Providence.
Early that morning, Andrei Bonilla drove to a residence on Harwol St. and dropped off the female victim. The defendant had previously dated the female victim.
As she exited the vehicle, the defendant approached and slapped the female victim, knocking her to the ground. The defendant then approached the driver side window of the vehicle and fired at least five times from, what was described at trial, a silver revolver, striking Mr. Bonilla three times. The defendant attacked the female victim again, striking her before fleeing the scene.
Despite his injuries, Mr. Bonilla attempted to drive away from the scene of the shooting. He drove as far as Branch Avenue before crashing into a parking bollard at a nearby convenience store. By the time rescue personnel arrived on scene, Mr. Bonilla had died from the gunshot wounds he sustained.
During the course of their investigation, Providence Police Detectives, identified the defendant as a suspect, and apprehended him, with assistance from the Rhode Island State Police, nearly two weeks later on September 10, 2021, at a residence on Prairie Avenue in Providence. The gun the defendant used to shoot Mr. Bonilla was never recovered.
On December 20, 2021, while the defendant was held at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI), the ACI Special Investigations Unit discovered that the defendant had sent a letter asking its intended recipient to dissuade the female victim from testifying against him at a future bail hearing.
“Our thoughts are with the loved ones of Mr. Bonilla and the surviving young victim following today’s guilty verdict,” said Steven M. Paré, Providence Commissioner of Public Safety. “Our officers and detectives are committed to keeping our city safe and bringing to justice those who perpetrate violence.”
“There is no place for the violence that was caused by the defendant in this case to occur,” said Providence Police Chief Colonel Hugh T. Clements, Jr. “Today’s guilty verdict represents justice for the family of Mr. Bonilla and the surviving victim in this case. The Providence Police Department will continue to work each and every day to prevent these senseless acts of violence occurring throughout our streets and ensure public safety to the best of their ability.”
Assistant Attorney General Scott Erickson and Special Assistant Attorneys General Jonathan Burke and Ariel Pittner of the Office of the Attorney General and Detectives Jared Sherman and Theodore Michael of the Providence Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of the case, with assistance from the Rhode Island State Police and ACI Special Investigations Unit.