By Tiffany Williams –
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.
After the transaction, an argument broke out inside the SUV. Velez stepped out to wait for his ride, thinking the confrontation was over. It wasn’t. Depina told Soto to drive him home — but he wasn’t done. Once there, he went inside, came back wearing black gloves and a black jacket, armed with a ghost gun — a firearm with no serial number and impossible to trace.
Minutes later, Depina and Soto returned to the same parking lot. Surveillance footage showed Depina getting out of the Murano and opening fire, unloading several rounds into Velez at close range. The victim was hit in the stomach and collapsed. He died from his injuries before help could reach him.