Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced today that Superior Court Justice Robert D. Krause sentenced Antone Williams (DOB: 12/30/86) to 30 years, with 17 to serve and the remainder suspended with probation, for the March 4, 2008 shooting incident in Central Falls.
Williams, with a last known address of 15 Slater Street, Pawtucket, was found guilty in March by a Providence County Superior Court jury. Justice Krause sentenced Williams to 20 years, seven to serve, on the assault with a dangerous weapon; 10 years to serve on the commission of a crime of violence with a firearm; 10 years to serve on the carrying a pistol without a license; and one year to serve for firing in a crowded area. The sentences for the three latter charges are to run concurrent to each other, and consecutive to the assault charge.
“Antone Williams has a long history of violence, with guns being his weapon of choice when settling disputes,” said Attorney General Kilmartin. “Gun violence strikes at the heart of our communities and threatens the stability of our neighborhoods. We must do all we can to keep guns off our streets and out of our communities. Together with our partners in law enforcement, we are hitting back and holding violent offenders accountable.”
During the afternoon of March 4, 2008, Antone Williams approached Wilmer Barrone, who was sitting in a parked car in the area of Clay and Broad Streets in Central Falls, and shot him once in the chest and once in the back with a .32 caliber revolver. Williams fled the scene in a white SUV driven by another individual. After the shooting, Williams hid the gun in the bedroom of an acquaintance, who was also an occupant of the white SUV during the shooting. After Williams left the residence, the driver of the SUV contacted the Central Falls Police to report the crime.
After concluding the investigation, Central Falls Police issued a warrant for the arrest of Williams, although it was a year later before he was captured on February 26, 2009. Williams was out on bail for the Barrone shooting when he fled the first day of the scheduled trial in Superior Court in November 2009. Williams was re-captured in February 2010 by Central Falls and State Police, at which time he was remanded to the Department of Corrections.
This was not the first time Williams had been involved with the criminal justice system. He previously pled to prior firearm charges for which he received a ten year suspended sentence. Williams also faces other firearm charges for an incident not related to the Barrone shooting.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney Jim Baum on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General. Lt. Steven Bradley of the Central Falls Police Department was the lead investigator in the case.