PAWTUCKET, R.I. — A Rhode Island man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after admitting to a cold-blooded execution in a Pawtucket parking lot.
On October 30, 2025, 28-year-old Jovon Depina pled guilty to first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and possession of a ghost gun in the killing of 23-year-old Jovani Velez. Superior Court Justice Robert D. Krause handed down a life sentence at the Adult Correctional Institutions, plus a consecutive ten years — five to serve and ten on probation — for the illegal firearm.
Prosecutors said Depina and co-defendant Elijah Soto met Velez on January 30, 2022, just before 7 p.m., near Park and Laurel Streets for what was supposed to be a routine drug sale. Velez climbed into the backseat of the suspects’ Nissan Murano to buy a small amount of cocaine. What followed turned deadly…