Habitual Rhode Island offender sentenced to decades in prison for murder of Robert Bullard, 38 – Fall River Reporter

Attorney General Peter Neronha announced that a Central Falls man was sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve decades in adult correctional facilities for the 2014 murder of Robert Bullard, 38, in Providence.

On May 22, 2024, Superior Court Judge Robert Krause sentenced Malcolm Querido, 37, to 60 years in ACI prison for the murder of Bullard. Judge Krause also considered Querido a habitual offender and sentenced him to a consecutive term of 25 years without the possibility of parole, with 15 consecutive years to be served at ACI. On February 21, 2024, following a five-day trial, a jury found Querido guilty of one count of second-degree murder.

“This defendant murdered Robert Bullard in a senseless act of violence, and he will now be held accountable for his brutal crime,” said Attorney General Neronha. “While nothing can erase the pain caused by this defendant, I hope this important sentence brings Mr. Bullard's family some semblance of peace and the feeling that justice has finally been served. I am grateful to Judge Krause for recognizing the defendant as a repeat offender and sentencing him as such, and to the Providence Police Department for their hard work on this case and many others.

During the trial, the State proved that Querido murdered Robert Bullard, stabbing him to death after an argument between the victim and a woman.

On September 7, 2014, Bullard arranged to meet a woman at an apartment on Allston Street in Providence, which she shared with Querido. An argument ensued and the woman began to scream. Querido then bursts into the room and stabs the victim to death. The woman called 911 and Querido fled the scene. First responders transported the victim to hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Those close to him remember Bullard as a loving and kind man.

“In order to maintain public safety, we must hold those who commit violent crimes accountable,” said Providence Police Colonel Oscar L. Perez, Jr. “I am grateful for the hard work of Detective Mattera and retired detectives Washburn and Allin, as well as the Attorney General's Office, for their investigation and prosecution of this case.

Assistant Attorney General Eric Batista and Special Assistant Attorney General Alison Bittl of the Attorney General's Office as well as Detective Robert Washburn (Ret.), Detective Bill Mattera and BCI Detective Doug Allin (Ret.) of the Police Department of Providence led the investigation and prosecution of the case.