Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that Rashawn Banks (age 29), of Boston, MA, pleaded guilty in Providence County Superior Court to three felony counts and received a life sentence at the Adult Correctional Institutions for the June 17, 2018 murder of Jacorey Sanders in Providence.
Superior Court Justice Robert D. Krause sentenced Banks to life at the ACI plus two additional ten-year sentences after he pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder, one count of carrying a pistol without a license, and one count of possessing a firearm after being convicted of a crime of violence. The two ten-year sentences will be served consecutively to his life sentence.
Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that during the early morning hours of June 17, 2018, Banks shot and killed Jacorey Sanders in a gang-related dispute.
Banks drove from Boston to Providence, arriving before midnight on June 16, 2018. Shortly thereafter, Banks encountered Sanders, a member of a rival Massachusetts gang, outside of a club on Pine Street sometime after 1:00 a.m. on June 17, 2018. Sanders attempted to elude Banks, but after a short chase on foot, Banks caught up with Sanders after Sanders had reached his Toyota RAV4, which was parked on Garnett Street. Banks fired 3-4 shots at Sanders, who was struck multiple times. Sanders was transported to Rhode Island Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Four other individuals were charged in connection with the incident. Three have pleaded to lesser charges and the case against one individual is still pending.
Detectives Ted Michael and Brian Dyer of the Providence Police Department led the investigation into the case and Special Assistant Attorneys General Amy Dodge and John Perrotta prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General.
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